Part 1: It Never Ends
by Soyna
Summary: Story is Complete!!! The angst filled story of some new *future members* of the Z gang and the conflict that arrises from it.... read and enjoy if you have not all ready done so. Filled with Romance and suspense. if you like sagas, this story is for you
1. Default Chapter

I just combined my first three chapters more will be coming later....  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ/DBGT.  
  
Title: It Never Ends  
  
C1-Welcome Home.  
  
Trunks looked nervous as they walked towards the shadow of the familiar house. Capsule Corp. Home.  
  
Goten knew why he was nervous. After all, Vegeta was his father and Bulma was his mother. He was sure to have both a good tongue-lashing and a beating from them. He was twisting his long purple braid with his hands. He was slouched a little too. He must have been thinking about the impending doom.  
  
Goten grinned. He was looking forward to seeing everyone again. He was aware of the backlash that would come his way. He was very aware of what he had done.  
  
He had left, with Trunks, five years ago, to go searching for his father. He felt him still out there. He felt him! No one else did. Everyone was so certain that Goku was finally dead. He saved the world and universe, yet again and had been finally allowed to rest. But Goten still could feel him but he couldn't find him.  
  
He dragged Trunks out with him, as they wandered space. They did not find his father. All they found was trouble.  
  
He had gained a few scars. The new one and the only that just about took his life, was a black scar from a razor sharp whip that had wrapped itself around his throat. There had been poison on that whip and it nearly took him out. It was the main reason that he had come back. He was sick for three months and was hardly aware of the time. If Trunks hadn't been there, he surely would have died. The scar still hurt, he was just used to it now.  
  
He wore a high necked shirt to hide it. Exposure to air, made it hurt even more.  
  
"Shouldn't we wait until everyone is up?" Trunks said. "It looks like not even my father is up. I don't want them to be angry at us." He fidgeted with his braid as he looked at the quiet house. They had changed a lot in the last five years.  
  
Trunks hair had grown so long that he now wore it in a braid that reached to his waist. Goten was used to it now. It was funny to watch him go Super Sayin though. But then, Goten shouldn't talk either. His had had grown as long as Trunks. He didn't bother tying it back. He let it fall loose down to the middle of his back. He knew that he probably would have to get it as soon as mom saw it, but he rather liked it long.  
  
"Na!" Goten said. "We won't be able to get something to eat that way!" Goten patted his belly. "I'm hungry."  
  
Trunks smiled. "We'll I'm glad your feeling better." He hadn't eaten much when he was sick. He was recovering well now. Trunks still worried about his friend but he recovered and he seemed to be doing better now. Even if they didn't find Goku.  
  
"How mad do you think they will be at us?" Trunks whispered as they sneaked into the kitchen.  
  
"Furious. I know mom is going to force me to finish school," Goten said as he entered the fridge. "I am more worried about you. You have the two most stubborn people in the world to deal with."  
  
Trunks sighed and shrugged. "It's the price that I have to pay. I knew this was going to happen. I'll live through this. Besides, it's all your fault. I'll sic dad on you after he is done with me."  
  
Goten smiled.  
  
They ate in silence and listened to the quiet house. There was no sign that anyone was up yet. It was like the quiet before the storm.  
  
Then they heard a noise outside. A battle scream followed by another.  
  
"That sounds like Dad," Trunks said as he went over the window. "Yep. Dad. I don't recognize the person he is sparring with though?"  
  
Goten took a look.  
  
Vegeta's sparring partner was a rather stunning woman. She had the golden aura that super sayins get. Her hair was quite long and flew around her in a menacing manner.  
  
"Is that Bra?" Goten asked.  
  
"No. That cannot be my little sister!" Trunks said. "She never trained before. It has to be Pan."  
  
"No way! Pan wouldn't look like that. Look at her battle armor. It has to be Bra. Her armor is the same as Vegeta's expect it is green, instead of blue!"  
  
They watched the fight and realized that they weren't really trying to hit each other. At least, they were not as fast paced as they all knew Vegeta could fight at.  
  
"I don't know who she is but she has to be one of them. Look. She has a tail," Trunks pointed out.  
  
The woman did have a tail. It was whipping around behind her instead of around her waist, like Vegeta did, when he had his tail.  
  
"But they both had them removed"  
  
"They do grow back."  
  
They watched as the woman started to pick up pace. Her hands moved quickly. A blow hit Vegeta in the jaw. Vegeta retaliated with a blow to her stomach.  
  
"She's good, who ever she is."  
  
Vegeta laughed.  
  
The woman growled.  
  
"Yeah," Goten sighed.  
  
They couldn't tear their eyes off the match. They argued a bit more on whether it was Pan or Bra.  
  
"Sis hates fighting. She would rather be at the mall," Trunks said.  
  
"Mom, wouldn't allow Pan to train so early in the morning. School has to come first in her books," Goten countered.  
  
"Who..." A small voice came from behind them.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They turned around to see a small boy standing in the doorway, a small boy with a messy mop of purple hair and large green eyes. He was wearing a pair of pj's with spaceships on them. He held a small blue blanked that he had pushed under his chin with two small fists.  
  
A boy that looked remarkably like Trunks.  
  
From the shocked look on Trunks face, he saw the resemblance too.  
  
"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Goten whispered to his best friend.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The boy? He looks like you." Goten said. "Did you have a girl friend that you didn't tell me about?"  
  
"No," Trunks gasped. "I... I was to busy working to have a girlfriend."  
  
They stared at the freighted little boy. His green eyes were starting to water. A frightened noise escaped him.  
  
"We won't hurt you. We..." Goten stared but was cut off by the boy.  
  
"MOMMMY!" He yelled and took a couple of steps back. "MOMMMY!"  
  
They boy certainly had a good set of lungs.  
  
"There is no need to be frightened," Goten said, trying to speak as gently as he could.  
  
The room gained a new occupant, the woman that had been fighting Vegeta. She was now standing in front of the boy. She looked even more menacing that she did outside. The boy quickly ran to her side and wrapped his arms around her leg, calling her mommy. She put a comforting hand onto the boy's purple head. Then the anger was turned to them.  
  
She raised her hand, her teeth clenched together and a ball of green energy quickly grew in her hand. Before they could even protest, she let out a scream and released the ball of energy and sent they flying through the kitchen wall.  
  
Goten barely had time to block before he found himself lying on the capsule corp. lawn.  
  
The woman was strong!  
  
Goten tried to sit up. His first attempt was a failure. His head was swimming. She certainly put a lot of energy in that blast.  
  
His second attempt was halted but a foot being placed on his throat. Her boot. He focused his eyes on her. She held the boy in her arms, held protectively to her chest. Her other had was palm down and gather another batch of energy.  
  
Her eyes were glowing a wild green.  
  
He put his hands around her ankle, but he couldn't move her. It was solid. He couldn't speak!  
  
He closed his eyes as he prepared for the blast.  
  
..................................................  
  
This is part 2 of the story.   
  
It Never Ends  
  
C-2- Catching up  
  
"Back off!" He heard Vegeta's gruff voice.  
  
Goten was never so glad to hear his gruff voice.  
  
"Why?" Her voice was surprisingly soft. He opened his eyes again and turned his head to see a frowning Vegeta.  
  
"Yeah! Why!" The boy in her arms yelled now, as he was getting his bravery back now. "He scared me! And he was stealing our food!"  
  
Vegeta grumbled something under his breath and then spoke loudly, "It's Kakarott's brat!" Vegeta let out a sigh and powered down, his hair going from gold to black.  
  
"I thought that was Gohan?" She said.  
  
"This is his youngest!" Vegeta snapped.  
  
The boot was removed from his throat and she took a step back. She had both her arms around the boy. The boy stuck his tongue out at him. She looked at Vegeta and powered down herself. Her golden hair fell down in to sheets of a dark red. Her eyes remained green, a little darker, but still green.  
  
"I forgot about that," she said.  
  
Vegeta humphed. "Get up!" Goten groaned as he received a boot in the side from Vegeta and then sat up. His head was swimming a little. Vegeta grabbed his collar and pulled him up. "Where is my boy?"  
  
Goten was a little shocked and didn't respond right away. Vegeta gave him a shake. "Answer me already! Are you deaf now!"  
  
"Uh, now. He was here," Goten said weakly. He looked around and saw a hole that looked as if Trunks could have created it. "He must be in there."  
  
Vegeta let him go and he fell to the ground.  
  
"Ow," He moaned.  
  
"Wimp."  
  
He turned to see that boy who was now standing by his mother with a grin on his face. Goten was certain that he just called him a wimp.  
  
"Get inside now," The woman said to the boy.  
  
"But mom," he whined. "I will miss all the fun then."  
  
"Benot!" She snapped. The boy cringed and then walked through the new door that she created with that last blast.  
  
Goten couldn't help but stare at her. She was a very beautiful woman. She was just about the same size as Vegeta height wise, but she also had one hell of a figure and it was hard not to notice with the green spandex that clung to her. He features were smooth and rounded, expect for her eyes, which looked angry right now. He wondered who she was? Then he took note of her tail again. He never had a tail. It was removed before he could remember. Her tail was quite unusual. Vegeta's and his fathers were fuzzy brown, hers was a dark red, that matched her hair.  
  
"Trunks!" Vegeta hollered. Goten came back to reality. He looked over to where Vegeta stood.  
  
The woman made a humphing sound similar to the one Vegeta makes all the time and walked into the house. Vegeta's eyes followed her for a minute but his attention turned back to wrecked shed as Trunk's noisily emerged and in a shy voice and a smirk said, "Hi Dad."  
  
Vegeta growled, "Shake your self off. That blast will wake everyone."  
  
"Where did that woman go?" Trunks asked as Vegeta grabbed his son roughly. "Just get inside! You have to explain first!" Vegeta shoved his son towards the hole in the wall.  
  
Goten and Trunks looked at each other and with some more coaxing from Vegeta, they went inside.  
  
...............  
  
They both hung their heads as Bulma yelled at them about leaving the way they did. Stealing the spaceship. Leaving without telling her. Making her worry and then destroying her kitchen. Goten tried to argue that they didn't destroy the kitchen, but Trunks just shook his head and warned him not to say anything. That lasted for about an hour before Trunks got a surprised hug from her. "I am glad that you are back!"  
  
Trunks sighed. "That wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be." He thought.  
  
"Now!"   
  
He groaned as he thought his mother was going to start yelling at him again.  
  
"Where were you and where is my space ship?" Bulma demanded.  
  
Goten started to explain. He simplified it a great deal. He didn't mention the last battle that they fought and lost. He even made sure that his shirt was still covering the scar on his throat. "I couldn't find dad," Goten said. "I really just wanted to find dad."  
  
Bulma gave him a sad look. Goten knew what she was thinking, but he just knew that he was out there somewhere. He wasn't dead. He was out there. Wandering for some stupid reason.  
  
That's when a new little boy entered the room. He was bigger than the one with the purple hair, but his hair was almost white, he was so blond. He sleepily walked through the room. His green eyes were half shut. "Oma, I'm hungry," he said and pulled on Bulma's arm.  
  
"Oma?" Trunks said.  
  
Bulma grinned. "Oh! You have met the boy's have you? This is Legen. (Lee-jen) He's your grandson!"  
  
Trunks fell off the couch.  
  
"What?" Goten said in shock. "How could that be?"  
  
"Oma, please, I'm hungry!" The boy said in a very drowsy voice. He still really wasn't aware of his surroundings.  
  
"Just a minute dear. Go see what is left of the kitchen and see if there is some food," Bulma said, guiding the sleeping boy towards the kitchen.  
  
"Mom! Explain this to me!" Trunks said with urgency. "How can I have a grandchild?!"  
  
"I'll explain it to you. Now sit down and relax."  
  
Bulma explained it to the former vacationers.  
  
It seemed that not long after they left, they arrived. They being, the woman that they saw sparing with Vegeta, Soyna, and her baby brother that they called Junior.  
  
"They were injured pretty badly when they arrived. Poor Junior just about had no eyesight left. Soyna was poisoned and large with the boys. If Vegeta didn't pull them out of the wreckage, they surely would have died. Poor Soyna was a wreck. Junior was able to fill us in a bit."  
  
"She had twin boys, Benot, the one with the purple hair and Legen, the hungry one. They are quite smart boys. They take after me that way."  
  
"Anyway, when they both had clear heads we were finally able to make heads and tails out of the situation."  
  
"Soyna and Junior are your future selves children, Trunks. It seemed that after the androids were defeated you found yourself a nice girl to start a family with. We figured that she had to be from that bloodline, because of her tail. She still stubbornly refused to cut it off."  
  
"She didn't tell us much at first about what happened. She was pretty shaken by the whole incident. She still has nightmares over it. She eventually opened up to us and told us what happened to bring her and her brother here."  
  
"Oma!" Came a cry from the kitchen. "What happened to the kitchen?"  
  
Bulma sighed, "Your mother blew it up. Can you find something to eat?"  
  
There was a moment of silence from the room. "Yeah," came a lower call.  
  
"I thought it was bad with you and Goten always hunting for food. Now I have a house full of Saiyians that eat me out of house a home." Bulma sighed.  
  
"Bulma, please tell us more before Trunks goes catatonic," Goten said as he looked over at his very dazed looking friend.  
  
"Oh. I'll simplify it a bit. There was a race that was looking to increase it army. They aren't very strong by our standards but they have ways of weakening their opponents. One of the first things that they did was poison the one that threatened them the most. Horrible stuff they used. I kept Soyna in the hospital for 6 months before its effects started to wear off. She still has the scar from the whip..."  
  
Goten cringed. Could it be the same one that gave him the scar on his throat?  
  
"... around her arm. They didn't even know they were under attack when the other Trunks fell ill and died. They didn't even know that he was poisoned until that guy confessed. What was that guy's name again? Krad!"  
  
Goten rubbed his throat. Krad. He knew that name. It was the same one. Oh, this was not turning out to be a good situation at all. It was true that they weren't that strong of a race, but they certainly were smart. They had stumbled on the planet looking to replenish their supplies. They stayed for awhile and they did ask them to join their army. They didn't like the fact that two strong men were just roaming the universe and refused to join them, so they tried to destroy them. The Wodah's. They seemed nice enough in the beginning until he refused Krad's request and he found that whip around his throat.  
  
Bulma continued.  
  
"They wanted Soyna and her child. They didn't know that she was going to have twins. They wanted to increase their army strength with her. They figured that she would be easier to control than Trunks."  
  
"I, the genius that I am, fixed up the time capsule for them travel back to this time, so that they would be safe, with the help of her husband. I guess he was a very smart man. His name was Brennen. He was supposed to join them, but he didn't make it. They just about didn't make it."  
  
Trunks looked at his mother. "I have kids?" His eyes looked kind of dazed.  
  
"Sort of," Bulma said.  
  
Legen walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. He looked fully awake now. He looked over at the two men on the couch and was a little startled. "Oma?"  
  
"It's okay Legen. Do you remember me telling you about me son? This is Trunks and this is his best friend Goten. Fry's uncle." Bulma said.  
  
The boy relaxed. "Oh. That's okay then. Are they reason that mom blew up the kitchen?"  
  
"They startled Benot." Bulma sighed.  
  
A voice came from upstairs. It was Soyna. "Legen! Get your butt up here and get ready for school!"  
  
He smiled and then ran up the stairs.  
  
"Fry?" Goten said. "Who's Fry?"  
  
"I have grandkids," Trunks muttered. He put his hands in his forehead and groaned. He looked kind of pale. He wasn't taking this news all that well.  
  
"Your nephew! Oh! He was born after you left!" Bulma said. "A lot has changed. He was born 4 years ago. He is a little monster!"  
  
Goten just blinked.  
  
"Two kids," Trunks whispered. "Two."  
  
"I think my head is starting hurt too," Goten said. So much had changed in the last 5 years. So much.  
  
Bulma laughed. "Things never seem to quit around here."  
  
Trunks stood. "I think that I am going to lie down for a little while." He was still rubbing his head.  
  
That is when Soyna entered the room with the two boys. She glared at him briefly and then looked away. Trunks looked as if he was frozen in spot. Benot stood behind his mother's legs and Legen was more worried about tying up his book bag.  
  
She was no longer dressed in the tight green spandex. She was wearing a simple pair of jean and a t-shirt with the symbol of Capsule Corp. on it. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail now. She still looked rather menacing for such a small woman. She must have inherited that from Vegeta.  
  
"Are you taking the boys to school today?" Bulma asked.  
  
She just nodded.  
  
Trunks looked as if he were struggling for words.  
  
She looked down at the floor, away from Trunks. "You don't need to say anything. You are not my father."  
  
Bulma gasped.  
  
"You just happen to look like him."  
  
  
.............................................  
  
  
This is my third installment to my fanfic. I hope you are enjoying it. I am getting quite a few reviews and so far so good for my first try at this. This chapter will be a little slow. It continues a bit of the catching up theme and lets see if our two heroes can survive through it all  
  
Disclaimer (which I forgot last time): I don't own DBZ/DBGT  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
C-3 - More News  
  
  
Trunk's was quite shaken by all the news. He almost seemed relieved when Soyna said that he was not her father. But there was yet another shock to come.  
  
They had to meet Junior yet.  
  
Trunks was just starting to get over the shock that he had a ready made family when Junior lumbered into the kitchen.  
  
He looked just like Vegeta! Expect he was much bigger. He was well over six feet and his hair was just missing the widow's peak but the resemblance was uncanny. They couldn't see his eyes, for he wore a dark pair of sunglasses over them. Trunks went into shock again.  
  
Trunk's kept pulling at his braid and shaking his head and starting muttering to himself. It was scaring Goten a bit. He had never seen his friend this way before.  
  
Junior was certain not as volatile as his sister. He was much calmer about meeting a man that resembled his father. Maybe because he couldn't see to well, it didn't bother him. Goten wasn't too sure.  
  
"Actually, sis, took it all quite well, if all she blew up was the kitchen," he had said with a smirk. "We may not see her for a couple of days now though. You know how she can get." He said to Bulma.  
  
Goten helped his friend to his room and sat him down.  
  
"Why did you talk me into going with you?" He whispered. Goten thought that he was trying to sound angry but now he kind of sounded sad.  
  
"I didn't know all this was going to happen," Goten said. "Hell, I didn't know that Gohan was even planning on having another kid and it seems that I have a nephew. I wonder what other changes have occurred."  
  
Trunks shuttered. "I'm scared to find out." He began to tug on his hair again.  
  
"I haven't seen your sister around," Goten said. "I wonder if she still lives here?"  
  
Trunks just shook his head. "My head hurts to much. This is all too much. I don't think Mom was the right person to talk to right away. We should have gone to your house."  
  
"I won't be that bad. At least you know that you will get married one day," Goten said, trying to lighten up the moment but realized from the look on Trunks face, that he just made it worse.  
  
"To who? Do I already know her? What will they think if I find a different girl than the one that other Trunks married? Oh God," He moaned and collapsed on the bed. "My head really hurts."  
  
Goten didn't know what to do really. "I guess I should go home and see how mom is doing and all that."  
  
Trunks just groaned and put his arm over his eyes.  
  
  
................  
  
Goten wasn't sure what kind of greeting his mom would give him. He was nervous as he walked in the front door. "Mom," he called out, but not that loud. He took in the surroundings and was never gladder to be home in his life.  
  
He called out again.  
  
He walked into the living room and saw some pictures that he didn't remember. There was one of Videl with the boy that must be his new nephew. Cute kid. He looked more like Videl than Gohan. His hair was the same yellow as Videl's but his eyes were the same coal black as Gohan's. He looked all of three in the picture. Pan certainly looked a lot older. Her hair was not so short and she somehow managed to tame it. Hell, she was even wearing make up in the picture.  
  
He certainly missed out on a lot. If only he had found dad.  
  
He called out again. Maybe no one was home right now. He was contemplating taking a shower and having a nap before anyone got home when he saw his mom out in the garden.  
  
She was still the same. A little bit grayer but still his mom. He smiled. He opened the door with a wide grin. "Hi Mom. I'm home."  
  
She looked up startled for a second; she jumped up and tackled him with a hug. "Oh, my baby is home!"  
  
  
...........  
  
He told his mom that it was really necessary to cook him something but she said she was happy to after yelling at him and cuffing him across the head. "You never leave again or else I will hunt you down and kill you myself."  
  
He did happily eat all the food that she cooked as she told him about Fry starting his first year of school this year and how well he was doing. Pan was at college and doing something in the field of chemistry. Gohan was now teaching at the high school. Videl was off doing some errands and often did volunteer work at the hospital. "Things have changed so much while you were gone. I missed you so much."  
  
He sank a little in his chair at that. He knew that he left at a bad time. He knew that. Dad had just left and they all assumed that he was going to be gone for good this time. She was recovering from loosing her husband yet again and also thought that even in death, she may not get to be at his side. Everyone was still upset over the whole ordeal and the same time relived that it was over.  
  
But he felt that he had to go. He felt like he didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to go. He grew up without a dad and was just getting used to having him around again and then he was torn from him, yet again. He had to search for him. He knew that he would hurt mom, by leaving the way that he did, but he just had too.  
  
"I missed you too mom, especially your cooking. Trunks is not a very good cook," he said with a smile and saw that his mother was smiling now too.  
  
"Did you meet Soyna and Junior?" ChiChi asked.  
  
"Briefly."  
  
"How is Trunks taking all this? The poor guy must have been in shock at his ready made family," ChiChi said placing some more food on his plate.  
  
"Not very well,' Goten said with his mouth full. Warm food. He hadn't had a warm meal in a long time. "It was a little much with Soyna blasting us through the wall and all."  
  
"Is that all she did?" ChiChi said.  
  
...............  
  
He had a long hot shower and allowed his muscles to relax. It felt good to be home. After the ordeal of washing his hair he decided that he defiantly had to get it cut. As he got out, he could smell ChiChi cooking up another meal. He shook out most of the water out of his hair and wrapped a towel around his waist and headed to his room, which he was surprised, was still there.  
  
"HAI!"  
  
He felt a foot on his back and he tumbled to the floor. He felt two sets of knee's pressing in his back. "Hi uncle."  
  
Pan. She hadn't changed that much at all.  
  
"Get off me Pan," He said. That was twice in the same day that he was knocked down by a woman.  
  
"Aren't you going to say, 'Hi Pan.' At least!" She said "Hey, what is up with you hair?" He felt her tug on it.  
  
"Hi Pan. Get off of me and quit pulling my hair," Goten said. He was tempted to throw her off but decided not too, when he realized that his towel would probably not hold.  
  
The knees moved. He grabbed his towel and stood up. Pan did change. Her hair was longer and styled with a smooth curve of black. It looked good! She looked like a woman not his pesky little niece.  
  
"I'm mad at you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You took Trunks with you instead of me! I'm as good a fighter as he is. I could have held my own!" She said with a serious look on her face. "Or at least you could have taken me along! I would have been more fun than school!"  
  
"I was going to go alone. It was a last minute thing to take Trunks along," Goten said. "Can I go get dressed now, instead of dripping in the hall here."  
  
She smiled and tackled him again, this time, giving him a big hug. "I'm glad you're finally home!"  
  
............  
  
He listened to Pan talk about her school and how she just hates her inorganic teacher and how she can't wait to graduate next year.  
  
"Bra, Raymond and I, were all planning on going on a vacation then. Originally it was just going to be Bra and me but since she got married..."  
  
"Married!" He couldn't imagine little Bra getting married. Hell, he had a hard time imagining the guy living past touching Vegeta's little princess. "How the hell did that happen?"  
  
"He is a doctor. He is such a nice guy. While Soyna and Junior were in the hospital all the time when they first arrived, Raymond took care of them. Bra and I were there almost every night taking care of the twins, to give Videl and Bulma a break. Things clicked. Vegeta didn't see it coming. You should have seen the look on his face when Bra announced that they were getting married. Vegeta didn't even get to threaten him once." Pan giggled. "You missed a fun wedding. Vegeta threatened Raymond's father a few times when he tried to dance with Bulma!"  
  
"Married!" He still had a hard time grasping that. "Why didn't she wait for me - I mean - us to get back?"  
  
"How did Bra put it? Quote: If those to buffoon's can go running off in space without letting me know, then I am getting married without them. It is there own damn fault. End quote." Pan said.  
  
"Ouch," Goten said. "I should go congratulate her."  
  
"Come on. Fry should be here soon! You have to meet my little brother. He is just so darling!"  
  
As she said, there was his little nephew, but he was also with two other boys, Benot and Legen. Fry still looked like the picture in the living room.  
  
Videl gave a squeal and gave him a hug and a smack. He would be grateful when everyone stopped hitting him. "You worried Gohan and me. Don't do that again!"  
  
"I won't." He said.  
  
"Fry, this is..." Videl started but the boys had already disappeared. She put her hands on her hips. "Well, that was your nephew. The twins would not stop talking about how Soyna blew the kitchen up when she saw you and Trunks in there." Videl chuckled a bit. "I am so surprised that is all she did."  
  
Goten raised his eyebrows. Why was everyone saying that?  
  
...............  
  
Trunks woke up late. He didn't feel the least bit rested. His head still ached. His dreams were full of thoughts about Soyna. He couldn't really remember much about what happened in the dreams but it wasn't very good.  
  
He opened his door and was startled by the presence of his father. "Rested enough?" There really wasn't that much concern in his voice.  
  
"Yeah," he lied.  
  
"I lost my sparing partner for the day. You are the new candidate," Vegeta said and then walked down the hall. "See you outside in 5 minutes."  
  
Trunks groaned. He was hoping that this would be put off for a bit. He knew that dad was going to give him a good beating for leaving the way he did, but did it have be today.  
  
...................  
  
Trunks was surprised that he held up as well as he did. He was quite shocked indeed. He even hit his father a few times. He was certain that he was too tired and drained to even survive 5 minutes with Vegeta, but he had somehow managed to survive a half-hour without to much damage.  
  
That was until Vegeta turned up the heat.  
  
Then he found himself eating dirt. His father foot pushing his face into the lawn. "I concede!" Trunks mumbled into the dirt.  
  
"It is not that easy boy!" Vegeta snarled. "I went through hell dealing with you damn emotional mother." The foot pressed him deeper into the lawn. Trunks didn't have any strength left to fight him. "She cried for a whole month, when you left without a word!"  
  
The foot left, but he felt himself being lifted and thrown against a near by tree. "I had to deal with her crying and sniffling and her complaining that she must be a bad mother. It drove me nearly mad!"  
  
Trunks slumped against the tree and looked on fearfully as his father walked toward him with clenched fists. "You are lucky that Soyna came along so that I had someone to fight with or else this beating would have been more severe."  
  
Vegeta stared at his son for a bit and then powered down.   
  
Trunks waited for the next attack and was a little surprised to see his father walk away from him. "Oh and son. Cut that awful braid off. You look like Zarbon and that is not a look that I very much like!"  
  
Zarbon? Who the hell is he?  
  
............  
  
A shower made him feel a little better after the beating his father gave him. He decided to wait and cut his hair another day. He was used to the braid now and kind of liked it.  
  
One of his eyes was swollen shut from the battle, but that was the worse of his injuries. Which was fine by him. He didn't end up in a regen tank. That was certainly something.  
  
He dressed in some clean clothes and then was greeted by his sister and a strange man. He was stunned that she was married. "How did you get him by Vegeta?" was his first question.  
  
"He was our doctor and was always around with Soyna and Junior when they were initially sick. Dad wasn't too rude to him then, it wasn't until he found out that we were getting married." Bra laughed.  
  
"I still stay out of his way. It is easier that trying to deal with him," Raymond joked.  
  
His sister certainly had grown all up. She had always been pretty but now she was beautiful. She looked so happy too.  
  
Raymond left. "I have to go check on Junior. I have some new drops that may help him a bit longer than before."  
  
"Did dad beat you up already?" Bra asked when Raymond left.  
  
Trunks nodded.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I just found out that my future self had two children and is now a grandfather. I am still having a bit of time dealing with it." He said. "It is quite a blow."  
  
"How did Soyna take it?" Bra asked, putting a comforting hand on his.  
  
"She just looked at the floor and told me that I am not her father, I just look like him," Trunks sighed. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He looked to his little sister for an answer.  
  
"I think that is a good thing. She may be able to reconcile things a bit better if she sees you as a friend first." Bra said. "She never really got over her father and husband death. When I still lived at home, she hardly ever slept and when she did, she usually had the most horrid nightmares. Only dad could calm her down."  
  
"I don't think that she even wants to be my friend," Trunks said. "We kind of sneaked into the house and we scared Benot. Then she blew us threw the kitchen wall."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
................  
  
"But..."  
  
"There will be no arguing with me!" ChiChi said firmly. She was brandishing a frying pan at her youngest son.  
  
"But... "  
  
"You left without finishing your school. I will not have one of my children being an idiot. You will finish you last year of school, whether you like it or not!"  
  
"But I am to old to go back to school!"  
  
"You are never to old to learn! Listen to your mother. For once in you life!" She said and then with teary eyes, "Where did I go wrong Goten? Was I not a good mother?"  
  
"No, mom, you are a great mom, but..."  
  
"Then you will go back to school starting Monday!" She said in a voice that meant that she was going to get her way.  
  
"But..."  
  
He knew that he should be fast enough to avoid his mother frying pan. He could avoid a light beam attack. Why couldn't he avoid a simple frying pan that was wielded by his mother? It hit him solidly on the side of the head. He knew there was no use arguing anymore. He sighed. That was three times today that a woman took him down.  
  
"Wimp."  
  
He turned to see the Benot with a grin and running into the next room to play with his brother and Fry. He was going to get that kid.  
  
  
  
  
  
A.N. So... A little slow. I know. Things will start picking up. Even some romances happening for those whom like that. There is so much yet to be told. Hopefully I will get C-4 out soon.  
Soyna.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. How Life Has Changed

  
  
Here is my next installment of my DBZ fan fiction. Enjoy.  
Goten goes back to school. Trunks tries to understand his daughter. This chapter is mainly from Trunks pov.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ/DBGT  
  
- It Never Ends --   
  
C-4   
  
Gohan smiled brightly much to the annoyance of his little brother. Gohan was glad that his brother was back. He missed him. He did but at the same time he was mad at him for leaving the way that he did.  
  
When he got home that day and saw that his little brother was home. He had been happy and they talked for hours about little stupid things. Well, Gohan mostly talked and he listened. It was so nice.  
  
It wasn't until he asked Goten, why he had left that he became annoyed and even angry at his little brother. Dad was gone. He had to accept it. He knew it was hard. He knew better than anyone that it was hard! But it was one of those things that you had to accept! Dad was gone and it was for best for everyone, even if it hurt. That was when he clocked his brother a good one right in the face. He lost control of his temper just for a split second but it was enough that he caught his brother off guard and sent him reeling to the floor.  
  
"Hey!" He had complained. "Why did you hit me?"  
  
Gohan sighed and apologized. Goten had held his eye as he sat back up on the chair he had been sitting on. "I thought that at least you wouldn't hit me." He had whined.  
  
Now he was taking his little brother back to school. He was sulking in the car wearing his new school uniform, buttoned right to the throat. He looked uncomfortable. He had his arms crossed and his head turned to look out the window. He had muttered all morning as ChiChi shooed him off to school and even made him a lunch. He complained again about being to old to go back, but ChiChi wouldn't hear anything of it. He still hadn't cut his hair, as much as everyone complained about it. He had it tied back for the most part at the nape of his neck with an elastic.  
  
"It's only for one year," Gohan said cheerfully. "Then you don't have to worry about mother bugging you about school. You will have your education."  
  
Goten turned his head and Gohan smiled even brighter. For his first day back at high school, his brother had one hell of a shiner over his right eye. The one that he gave him. "I am not going to enjoy this at all!" He muttered. "I didn't like school to begin with."  
  
"Yeah. I remember. You were in it for the girls, weren't you?" Gohan teased.  
  
Goten turned back to the window and continued his sulking.  
  
.......................  
  
  
Trunks frowned at he looked at his new hair cut. A hair cut that he didn't have a choice of. Vegeta had threatened to cut it off himself all weekend. Trunks just shrugged it off. That was until this morning, when he wandered down for breakfast only to have his father grab his braid and lop it off. Now it was the shortest that he had ever had his hair before in his life. His bangs hung down to his chin, but he was not used to the shortness in the back. He rubbed his hand alone the short hair there and frowned. He had always liked his hair long and his dad had to go and cut it off.  
  
Mom told him it looked just fine, but that was mom.  
  
Sometimes, he really wished that he had a normal family. He could hear mom yelling at him to get his butt downstairs, that they were going to miss a meeting if he didn't move.  
  
He needed to buy new suits. All his old ones were a little too snug. They would do for the day. Mom said she was going to take it easy on him, and they would only work a half a day to get him used to going back to working at Capsule Corporation and get used to the changes. He knew that it was going to be a late day, once she said that.  
  
He sighed.  
  
He left his room and saw Soyna. He never knew what to say to her. She hadn't spoken a word to him and when he seemed to find the right words, he would look at her and loose them. He tried to see some resemblance of himself in her, but couldn't see one. He wanted to know if she looked like her mother. He wanted to ask her about her mother and what she was like. He wanted to know how he met her and how he fell in love with her. He wanted to know when he got married and he wanted to know everything about his other self. But he couldn't ask her. He had tried to even ask Junior, but he wasn't able to ask him. His tongue just was tied in knots.  
  
She had come out of the twin's room with an armload of clothes. She seemed so tiny when she wasn't fighting his father. She didn't seem to be the fighter that he knew that she was. She stopped and looked at him and seemed to be at a loss for words as well. Her green eyes grew wide for a second and then narrowed. "What do you want?" Her voice was so cold.  
  
"Nothing," Trunks said. "Got a meeting to go to."  
  
She was staring right at him and she was shaking a bit. Why was she shaking?  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
She clutched the bundle of children's clothes in her arms tightly. "Fine." Then she walked away.  
  
Why was she so cold to him?  
  
"Trunks!" Bulma roared.  
  
"Coming," He called.  
  
....................  
  
  
The only consolation that he had during the day was lunch. He had run into Pan and joined her for a meal. He hardly recognized her without her bandanna. It was nice to talk to someone that wasn't in a suit or was busy groveling at his feet because they all knew that he was to become the future president of the company.  
  
Pan gave him a shot in the arm and gave him hell for leaving with her uncle. He was able to talk a little about his adventure in space with her. Of all people, she knew what it was like out there better than anyone. Of course, he left out that 'one' planet that they visited half way through with the water nymphs. He even blushed when he remembered that place. They stayed there for three months. That was the longest they stayed anywhere before Goten literally dragged him off the planet. That was not something you talk to a girl about.  
  
The rest of his day was quite hellish. So much for the half a day, it was ten o'clock at night now. He was tired and was glad to see that the house was quiet. He loosed his shirt and threw off his jacket. He would really have to buy some new suits.  
  
"Are you okay mommy?" he heard the voice of Legen. What was he still doing up? It was a school night.  
  
"I'm okay," He heard Soyna's voice whisper. "You should go back to sleep. I have a hard enough time waking you in the morning."  
  
"You looked upset today," he said. "Why?"  
  
"I just had some bad thoughts. They are gone now. You don't need to worry about me. I am strong enough to take it." She said.  
  
He leaned against the wall and listened. He knew he shouldn't be. He knew that if he were caught, she would probably never ever talk to him again, even if all she did was grunt and mutter.  
  
"You can tell me," Legen said. "I don't like seeing you upset."  
  
She sighed. He wished he could see what was going on in there.  
  
"You worry to much Legen. You have to worry about your school and friends. Stick with trying to figure out your video games. I am here to worry about the rest. That's what parents are for," She said. He heard the rustle of sheets.  
  
"I'm old enough to understand now," Legen protested.  
  
"I know you are," She whispered. "But you are to young to be burdened with such things. You have a good childhood here. Enjoy it. Now, sleep!" She said.  
  
Legen gave out a sigh.  
  
He didn't move quickly enough. Soyna opened the door. She stared right at him with such pain in her eyes.  
  
"I...I..." he stammered looking for a quick excuse. She just quickly looked down and then started to walk to her own room.  
  
Was it his fault? He wished she would talk to him, so that he could understand. So he wouldn't cause her to look like that anymore.  
  
..............  
  
  
The whole week was painful. He had gotten some new suits, so he wasn't too uncomfortable in the office and the ever-mounting pressures. Bulma had announced her second retirement in 2 months, enough time for her son to take over.  
  
His only bit of pleasure was this lunches on Wednesday and Thursday. Pan was available on those days for the rest of her semester so they had a running lunch date now.  
  
Pan was able to explain to him a little about Soyna.  
  
"She was really close to her father," Pan said as she stuffed her mouth. One of the conditions of the lunches was that he paid for them and she certainly took advantage of it. "She has a picture of her family. She showed it to me once when I caught her staring at it. That is probably why she won't talk to you now. When Vegeta chopped off your hair, he had the same hairstyle in his older days. It was a little grayer but the same. She must have been having some horrible dreams lately too. Legen is coming over tired all the time. I caught him sleeping with the controller in his hand the other night."  
  
"Why would Legen be tired?" Trunks said. He was hungry, but he had forgotten about his food and was listening to Pan in between her cleaning plate after plate.  
  
"He worries about her a lot," Pan said. "He even complains that Vegeta is too rough on her when they train. The kid has a lot of heart. Are you going to eat that?" He lost his fries, before he could say yes.  
  
"You certainly give a new meaning to starving student," Trunks had growled at her. She just smiled and kept eating.  
  
Everyone told him that she would come around. Expect Vegeta, who told him to stay away from her. "You are upsetting her and she is not concentrating on her training." He had looked particularly upset at him that day and he hadn't done anything yet. He had just walked in the door. He must have finished training because he looked a little weary. There was a scorch mark on his arm that had torn through his training clothes. "She was just fine before you come home."  
  
He couldn't believe how protective dad was of her! He was his own son, and here he was, more worried about that OTHER Trunk's child, over him. He had long ago accepted the fact that he wasn't going to have a normal family, muss less a normal father, but why did his sister and his OTHER selves child, get Vegeta to behave more like a father!  
  
The only way he even knew anything about her was by talking to Pan as she stuffed her face over lunch.  
  
"Don't judge her so harshly. She has been through a lot," Pan said when he confessed this to her. "She feels that it is all her fault. When she sees you, she sees her failure."  
  
How could he argue with that?  
  
..............  
  
The weekend and somehow he managed to avoid working it. He tried to sleep in but was awoken by some awful crashing sounds.  
  
When he rushed to see what it was, he found that so had Soyna and Vegeta, who had obviously been training. There was a soccer ball in the living room, covered with glass.  
  
Vegeta crossed his arms and looked at Soyna. "They're your kids."  
  
She rolled her eyes and left the room obviously trying to track down her children.  
  
That was just the start of it all.  
  
Just as he was going to head out to check up on Goten, he nearly got run over by the two boys.  
  
"Out of the way!"  
  
"Running for our lives!"  
  
He didn't know who was ahead of who. As he turned, Soyna plowed into him, sending him into the wall.  
  
They stared at each other for a bit. "It is dangerous in this house on weekends. It would be wise if you leave." Then she took off after the boys. She was quick enough to catch them. Why did she have to play the game?  
  
That little bit of delay cost him too. His mother spotted him and he ended up clearing up some notes that he had given her on Thursday. That took another hour.  
  
He managed to avoid his father who was looking rather bored and obviously wanted to fight.  
  
Just as he was going to get to his car, he saw that it was already gone. Junior had already laid claim to it and he had to go back inside to get another capsule.  
  
He couldn't avoid his father this time.  
  
It took him until 3 o'clock to get out of the house and get over to see Goten.  
  
Then he saw a very flustered looking Goten. He was sitting on the living room floor, with his books all over the coffee table. Junior was on the couch with a book in his lap. He was obviously trying to explain something to him.  
  
Goten jumped up as he walked in the room. "Trunks. Oh, man. I am so glad to see you." He mustn't have had a very good week either. "Can we take a break, huh? I've been trying to grasp that for 5 hours now. I need to stretch."  
  
Junior, who looked rather flustered himself, nodded. "I think that is all you are going to get in your head today." He closed the book.  
  
Goten grinned. Trunks was quickly dragged upstairs, away from Junior who looked as if her were going to fall asleep right then and there.  
  
"How are you doing?" Goten asked.  
  
Trunks shrugged. "I feel unwelcome in my own home." He sat on his friend's bed. "I mean, dad, hates me even more than usual."  
  
"I know what you mean. Those boys keep taking over everything. And that Benot!" Goten clenched his fists. "If that kid, calls me a wimp one more time..."  
  
Trunks smirked. So, he wasn't the only one that was being driven up the wall. He guessed they both figured things would be the same as they were when they left.  
  
"I just have to deal with mom all day and then dad threatening me when I get home," Trunks said.  
  
"I have to deal with school! Horror Physics and stupid math! Then I come home and can't even spar with Pan because she has too much homework. I almost convinced Gohan but then mom stepped in and told me that I should really catch up on my studies!" Goten said as he paced his room. "You want to spar. I'm dying to fight someone."  
  
Trunks sighed. He was sore from the beating his father had given him that morning but he couldn't turn down his friend. He remembered how trapped they had both felt in school.  
  
..............  
  
"Do you have a girlfriend yet?" Trunks asked as he missed a punch.  
  
"Huh?" Goten said and landed one on his friends jaw, sending him into the lawn.  
  
"A girlfriend!" Trunks said from the dirt as he sat up. "You know, a female friend. I am sure that you have a couple going after you already." He allowed himself to power down. His bangs falling over his eyes. It used to never do that.  
  
Goten grunted. "No! I will not date one of those children! They are just kids!"  
  
Trunks sighed. "From the man, who had a thing for my little sister!" Goten preceded to kick him for that. He had to chuckle though. He was a little sensitive on that still. He knew that he had a thing for her. He confessed one day when they were in space. Trunks knew that he thought she would wait for him. Just like his mother always waited for Goku. But she didn't wait. She married a nice doctor. He doubted that he had even talked to Bra yet. From the look on his face, Trunks could tell that he still had feeling for her and wasn't sure what to do now.  
  
He had powered down now and helped Trunks off the ground. "Look on the bright side," Trunks offered. "You don't have to worry about my father killing you."  
  
He grinned then. "Yeah. No woman is worth that."  
  
Trunks shook his head. He was still in denial.  
  
..............  
  
They walked back inside and saw Pan and Junior sitting beside each other on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn, watching a movie, something that looked rather boring.  
  
They were sitting awful close together. Pan looked at them as they walked in.   
She pointed and laughed at Trunks, "You look like you just went through a blender!" Junior just smiled. "Can't win any fights lately, huh?"  
  
Trunks felt his face blush. Goten patted him on the back. "I did kind of work you a little hard," he said with a sheepish grin.  
  
Trunks just sighed and collapsed in a chair across from his 'son' and Pan. They really were sitting too close together. Was there something there that he should be worrying about? "It's just been a rough week."  
  
Goten leaned against a wall.  
  
Pan smiled brightly and adjusted her hair, which was a little wilder today than it normally was. Maybe she ran out of hairspray. "It has been a lot of stuff to absorb in the last week. Have you talked to Soyna yet?"  
  
The mention of his OTHER selves' daughter forced a groan to leave him.  
  
"I'll take that as a no," Pan said. She moved a bit from Junior. "She still won't talk to you."  
  
"Sis, is just stubborn," Junior said. "She has a lot of pressure on her shoulders and she really doesn't handle things very well lately."  
  
"What does that mean?" Goten asked.  
  
"She thinks the attack was all her fault. The reason that she lost everyone, was all her fault and she thinks that when or if they come, she has to take them out to make up for her past. You just remind her more of that," Junior said. "She won't even talk to me lately. She would usually tell me if something was bothering her."  
  
"But it wasn't her fault," Goten said. "How could the attack be her fault?" He was rubbing the bandana that he now wore around his throat that looked like Pan's old one.  
  
Junior shrugged. "I don't understand my sister all that well." He sighed and nibbled on some of the popcorn. "She has always been the type of person to stay to herself. The only one that she would really open up to was dad." His eyes flicked over Trunks.  
  
"She doesn't see me as her father."  
  
"I know." He said. He looked down at his lap and then at the television.  
  
"My head is starting to hurt again," Goten complained. "Pan? Is there food in the kitchen." His voice going into a whine.  
  
"You lazy, ass. Go see yourself!" Pan snapped at him. "What am I? A maid?" She threw the nearest thing she had. The remote. He ducked and smiled.  
  
"But you are so good at it," he said.  
  
Pan fumed.  
  
............  
  
Trunks frowned as he got home late. They had watched a few movies and he was able to relax a bit, even with Junior there. He didn't seem to mind his presence as much as Soyna did. Junior was only 12 when he arrived in this time, still young and impressionable, where as, Soyna was 11 years his senior. From what he understood, he wasn't that close to his OTHER self.  
  
He didn't like the fact that Pan and him were sitting so close together and at one point of the movie she preceded to lay her head against his shoulder. Goten seemed oblivious to this action and was concentrating on his bowl of popcorn and the mindless B rated horror move.  
  
How could he see with his bad eyes anyway? He thought he was nearly blind! Obviously his eyes weren't that bad.  
  
He hardly paid attention to the movie.  
  
He knew that he shouldn't be concerned over it, but it bothered him and he really didn't understand why.  
  
..............  
  
Home.  
  
He wondered if he would be welcome? He was glad it was quiet. When they walked into the living room, he saw a rather cute sight.  
  
His OTHER selves' daughter was lying on the couch, even snoring slightly. Benot was curled up against her side and draped over her legs. Legen was nuzzled up against her chest and his head resting in the crook of her neck. They were all sleeping as the picture of the TV illuminated them. He was even a bit shocked to see his father, with his arms crossed, sitting in a chair, with his chin dropped to his chest and his eyes closed.  
  
Junior smiled. "I may not understand my sister much anymore, but I do know this. She will do anything to protect those boys of hers," His voice a whisper as he looked upon her through his dark glasses. "She will make sure that no one here has to suffer through what she has suffered. I guess that's all you really have to know about her."  
  
Trunks nodded. "Yeah. I guess that is all I do need to know."  
  
For the first time in the week that he had been home, he didn't feel so bad anymore or worried. He smirked at himself. He just wanted to find out if he was a good father or not. At least his other self was.  
  
  
  
.............  
  
  
A little long winded but I think this info. Will be important later on in the story as I bring out some of the more fun stuff. (You know, battles, arguments and even a little romance....and the romance is probably not what you are expecting either...)   
  
Do I have ya all hooked yet or what.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Scar

Things are starting to warm up, but maybe not in the ways you want it too... but I say, it is starting to get a might bit interesting. A little bit of a 'bundle' and lots of conflict all of which starts here.  
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
  
C-5 -- The Scar.  
  
  
Life fell into it's normal routine and everyone seemed happy.  
  
Goten struggled through school with the help of Junior.  
  
Trunks struggled through work with the help of Pan and survived his mother's retirement. Things started to settle down at work or he got used to the routine.  
  
Vegeta and Soyna still trained as if the end of the world was coming.  
  
Goten still hid the scar around his throat with Pan's bandanna. He still had not told anyone of their encounter with the Wodahs or Krad.  
  
..................  
  
Bra could hardly keep still. She paced frantically around the living room, every now and then looking out the window.  
  
"Calm down, Bra!" Raymond said, putting his hands on his wives shoulders. Boy was she ever tense. "It is no good getting yourself upset over this. I'm sure that he will be happy about it as we are."  
  
"You still don't understand my father do you?" Bra said. "I don't think he really wants to admit that I am all grown up. If he didn't have Soyna to distract him and an impending threat, he probably would have really hurt you by now, but..."  
  
"Is that why you want to tell Soyna first?" He said.  
  
"I can't trust mom. She'll squeal and jump up and down. The only other one that can remotely control dad is Soyna," She said, pulling away from her husband and started to pace again. "Then I will tell dad and Soyna will be able to hold him back."  
  
"I don't think he'll be that angry. I know he was upset over the marriage and all but he only threatened my life once and that was if I ever hurt you," he said, grabbing her again, but this time in a hug. "You worry to much."  
  
She sighed heavily.  
  
.............  
  
Bra looked at the small smile on Soyna's face as she told her the news. "It's about time. You have been married for nearly 3 years now."  
  
Bra blushed.  
  
"Why are you telling me first?" Soyna asked from her chair as she munched on some food. The natural way to bribe anyone with Saiyian blood. "Why didn't you tell... oh." Her smile grew a little bigger. "Your worried about your father's reaction."  
  
"I know that he treats you great but you came here as a adult. I really don't know how he will react and I really don't want him to hurt Raymond," Bra said. "I need you as a buffer zone, so if he tries to hurt him, you can stop him."  
  
She laughed lowly and helped herself to more of the food. "You know, I could use a babysitter for the boy's next weekend," she said.  
  
Bra narrowed her eyes. "What? Do you have other plans than training? I'm surprised that you have a life."  
  
Soyna just smiled. "So?"  
  
"Fine!" Bra said. She loved the boys but they sure could be a handful at times. They listened better to Raymond than they listened to her. She was sure that she could pawn them off Raymond if they got to anxious.  
  
............  
  
Soyna and Vegeta entered the room and Vegeta was mildly shocked to see his daughter and her annoying husband here. Soyna was holding her arm, the one that had that wound on it and he knew she was in pain. "Good. That doctor is here. He can look at it." Vegeta said.  
  
"Oh! What happened?" Bra said with a worried look.  
  
He wasn't going to explain to his daughter about how Soyna was pushing herself too hard lately. He had felt her power up higher than he felt her before and her normal green aura, turning a brilliant red. He yelled at her to stop, that she was going to destroy herself, but she was enthralled by the power that was threatening to rip her apart. He knew that feeling himself, but was somehow managed to control it. Soyna had gone beyond control. He had to stop her. It stopped when Vegeta grabbed her arm and twisted it. She let out a horrible scream. He knew it was broken.  
  
"Nothing. It's fine." She said even though she still cradled the injured arm to her chest. Raymond went to her and gently touched the flesh on her shoulder. She clenched her teeth tighter and glared at him. "I am fine."  
  
Trunks shook his head from the corner of the room in which he sat with his papers. Vegeta couldn't help but shake his head too, at his granddaughter but then turned to his daughter. "Why are you here?"  
  
"I got to tell you something daddy," she said in such a sickly sweet voice. She was using that voice. She knew how to manipulate him even better than Bulma did. "You better sit down."  
  
He remained standing and eyed his daughter suspiciously. It was like the time that she announced she was going to marry the human doctor. "What is it now?"  
  
"Sit down," Bra said.  
  
Vegeta humped and sat down, still waiting to hear what horrible news his daughter was going to give him. Nothing could be worse than the news of her wanting to marry Raymond. He had not seen that one coming. She had been spending a lot of time at the hospital, but thought it was because of Soyna and the others, not because of the pesky doctor.  
  
Bra sat beside him and grabbed his arm. He was even more suspicious of his daughter. "Daddy." He watched Soyna position herself near Raymond who was testing her arm. "You're going to be a grandfather."  
  
"I already am that," he snorted as he looked at Soyna. Hell, he was closer to her than he was even his own children. Bulma had given him hell on many occasions about how he seemed to favor Soyna over his own. He didn't know why. Maybe, because she acted more like a Saiyian, than any of the other mix-breeds on this planet. They didn't have to talk to understand each other. They could fight and that was enough.  
  
"No dad," Trunks said from his corner. "Bra, is going to make you a grandfather."  
  
He looked back at his daughter. She had that goofy grin that told him that she thought he was going to overreact. He knew this was going to happen sooner or later. He knew that his daughter was going to have children of her own. That was one of the reasons that he had overreacted about her getting married. A few fights and conversations with Soyna straightened him out though. She made him realize that his little girl was a woman now. Especially when he considered that Soyna, his granddaughter from the other time, already had two boys.  
  
"It's about time," he said and stood. "Is that all you had to tell me? When is the new brat due?"  
  
He enjoyed the shock on his daughter's face and then the large grin as she jumped up and hugged him. "In October."  
  
He gave her a quick hug back. "It better be a boy."  
  
She just laughed.  
  
Soyna was muttering under her breath at Raymond. "It's broken." Raymond stated, ignoring her curses.  
  
"Really?" She said with a tone thick with sarcasm.  
  
Trunks gave his baby sister a hug. He couldn't help but think of her like that. She was always his baby sister. Always. Now, she got married while he was away and now she was going to make him an uncle.  
  
"I warned you," Vegeta snarled.  
  
"I could have made it!" She snapped at him. She tried moving her arm and Raymond ended up holding her up. "You didn't have to break my arm, you know."  
  
"You weren't listening to me!" Vegeta snapped.  
  
She frowned and just looked at her swelling arm. "I'll fix her up, but she won't be able to spar for awhile."  
  
Vegeta just growled and then turned his attention back to his daughter. She didn't look pregnant yet. Then he remembered how her mother used to look. Hell, he didn't figure out she was pregnant with Trunks, until she was in her fifth month and that was just because she was eating a hell of a lot more and it was hard to get food. He smirked as he remembered how she told him. Typical Bulma style. He had made a comment about her gaining weight and that she was turning into a whale. She just turned and yelled at him, "If you were five months pregnant, you would look like this too." She then stormed out of the room. He knew it was his. It shocked him at that point. He didn't know what to do or what Bulma even expected from him. He didn't understand why she didn't tell him sooner either, but at that point of his life. All that mattered was getting strong enough to bet Kakarott and becoming a super saiyian. That is all that had mattered.  
  
Bra was talking about all the things that she was planning on doing for the baby. He listened patiently, but really didn't much care what she planned on doing. He knew what would happen. "Another brat running around here. Just what we need," he said.  
  
"Daddy," she smiled and punched his arm. "What if I have twins like Soyna did?"  
  
"Don't joke about that." He scowled.  
  
Bra and Trunks both laughed at that.  
  
..................  
  
Vegeta scowled. Why did they always have to gather here? They used to all go to Kami's house, but now, they were all here! He glared at the mass of people taking over his pool. The twins and Fry were bashing a beach ball back and forth to each other. The older brats were in the deeper end, mostly just floating around and talking. All of them were there; Trunks, Junior, Goten, Bra,and her annoying husband, Marron, Uub, and Pan. Krillin and his mechanical wife were talking with Bulma who was cheerfully talking to them. Gohan and Videl had taken up residence on some lounge chairs. Then there was Soyna, who said that she wasn't tired, sleeping at the far edge on the pool. Her arm in a heavy cast now. He knew that annoying doctor would have given her enough drugs to help her sleep, but he also knew that she was tired. She had been pushing herself so hard in the last months since Trunks had returned home.  
  
She would have to be really tired, to leave her tail unfurled like that. He seldom noticed that she still had her tail, she was an expert at concealing it, only the times when she was really mad, would it unwind and get puffy, really quite a cute feature. He couldn't remember if his did that or not, since he no longer had it. It probably did.  
  
She looked peaceful for a change in her sleep, not her normal scowl that seemed to always plague her. They may not be able to train for awhile but from the look of her, she needed the rest.  
  
"That's it Kid!"  
  
He looked to the pool to see Benot taking a dive and Goten after him. Everyone was laughing at something that he had missed. "Get him!" Pan yelled.  
  
The others were laughing as Goten emerged with Benot under one arm. "Got you now Brat." Benot protested  
  
"Mom!" Benot yelled.  
  
She was not waking up for anything.  
  
"She can't save you this time!" Goten said and then preceded to dive again with Benot under his arm. In a short time later Goten surfaced first. Vegeta could see that Benot was struggling to get up but Goten had a firm hand on the top of his head. "Call me a wimp will you and then bean me with that ball!"  
  
He smirked, Benot. Always getting in trouble.  
  
Goten let the brat up and he sputtered for air and glared at Goten who was now floating back to the older group of brats. He could see by the look on his face that Benot was already formulating how to get back at Goten.  
  
He started to smell something good. ChiChi must be cooking something because Bulma's cooking didn't smell that good. She must be cooking up a storm form the large group. He guessed this thing was planned, but no one told him about it. Well, they probably did, but he wasn't paying much attention.  
  
The younger brats crawled out of the pool.  
  
The older brats had now claimed the ball and were playing a version of volleyball with it.  
  
He also noticed how blatant the flirting was between them. He knew they hadn't been together for awhile, but he didn't like the fact that even his son was flirting with Marron and even Pan! He didn't like his daughter marrying a human, but it was better than getting involved with those families, then he would be forced to socialize with them! Especially if Trunks went out with Marron! He glared at Krillen. He really didn't want to be related to the chrome dome.  
  
...............  
  
He sat near Soyna. She had woke up for the food but only ate a little bit. He wondered how much of the drugs that pesky doctor gave her. Legen had tried to cheer her up, but she just told him to go and play with the other boys. Sometimes, he wished his granddaughter was not so much like him.  
  
................  
  
"Why are you wearing that stupid bandanna?" Marron said and pulled on the noose around Goten's neck. "It took forever to get Pan to stop wearing it, so why are you wearing it now?"  
  
He pulled away and put his hand protectively over his throat. "I just like to wear it," he was obviously lying. They could all see it in his face. He was not that good of a liar.  
  
They still hadn't told anyone about the scar. They still hadn't told anyone about their encounter with Krad. Goten had the scar hidden quite well.  
  
Marron moved closer to Goten and Goten had no where to go as she brushed up against him. "Come on. Take it off." She said and she ran her finger along his shoulder. He visible gulped.  
  
"Just tear it off!" Pan said pushing Marron aside and into Trunks. Trunks blushed as he helped her to stay on her feet. Pan had grabbed the bandanna and was pulling on it.  
  
"Stop it!" Goten said. "Stop it you brat!"  
  
It ripped and was removed from Goten's throat.  
  
Goten kept his hands over his throat, but you could still see the black mark.  
  
"What the hell?" Junior said. There was a touch of anger in his voice as he started at Goten! "That better be a tattoo!"  
  
Goten gave a sheepish grin and removed his hands. He chuckled lightly.  
  
Junior had gone pale. He looked angry. Trunks didn't think that he could get angry. He thought his sister had all those genes.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us!" It wasn't a question. It was the first time that he ever felt him power up, even as slight as it was. He didn't even think that he trained. Junior advanced on Goten. "All this time, you had encountered them and you didn't tell us! That means that they defiantly will be coming!"  
  
Goten felt himself pushed against the wall again. He must preferred Marron trying to corner him than Junior. It was very intimidating to see such a big man that looked so much like the meaner little version.  
  
"We didn't want to upset anyone," Goten said in a weak voice.  
  
Junior shook his head and ran his hands through his unruly dark hair. He was shaking. Pan put grabbed on of his arms. "Are you okay?" She said.  
  
"No!" He yelled, pulling his arm away from her. She looked at him angrily but was ignored as he continued to yell. "Your stupid uncle! It has been three months and he hadn't told us the most important thing about his trip! The most important thing that he could possibly tell us!" He looked as if he wanted to say more, but his eyes turned towards two approaching figures: Vegeta and Soyna.  
  
...............  
  
Vegeta felt the tension before he heard the yelling. He couldn't believe that Junior was angry at Goten. They were getting along quite fine before. That was until he saw Goten remove his hands from his throat.  
  
He knew Soyna saw it to by the gasp and low growl that escaped her.  
  
He had never, in all the five years, had heard Junior raise his voice. He certainly looked pissed right off now and the tone that he was using. Junior never got mad. He was usually such a calm boy.  
  
But he knew what set him off.  
  
Goten had a similar scar to the one that was now wrapped in a cast on Soyna's arm.  
  
They had encountered Krad and had not mentioned it before.  
  
Soyna stood slowly. She nearly sat back down, but he helped her up. She gave him a sad look and then went to the argument. They moved as they walked towards them.  
  
Soyna looked at both Trunks and Goten, who were hanging their heads now, and looking as if they were searching for excuses. Vegeta couldn't think of one that would get them off the hook. He knew he shouldn't have been so easy on them, when they came back.  
  
Junior spoke, his voice cracking, "They encountered Krad and they didn't tell us!" A lone tear crawled out from his sunglasses and sent a trail down one of his cheeks. His shaking was getting worse. Junior couldn't even look at Goten anymore.   
  
Soyna looked at Goten. She looked angry. She had her tail under control and wrapped tightly under her shirt now, but he could tell, that she was struggling to control the fury that was surly brewing in her.  
  
"He could be on his way RIGHT NOW!" She snapped and then turned her anger towards Trunks. "You both know what we went through. You both were told!" She pulled away from Vegeta and went to her brother and wrapped her arm around his waist. He buried his head into her shoulder and embraced her as well. "If any of my family dies because of you, I will hold you personally responsible and I will kill you myself."  
  
Vegeta could see that she was fighting tears also, but knew that she wouldn't allow them to fall. She didn't want to appear weak and would not allow herself to cry. She never cried.  
  
Goten struggled for words, "They aren't that strong..."  
  
"They are strong enough to destroy everything that I had! They were strong enough to know how to kill my father and family! Now that they know there are Sayians, they will surely be prepared where as we had the element of surprise before. That is lost. Pray they do not develop a new poison!" She hissed.  
  
Everyone was silent. "They are not fools!" She snapped. "They know how to plan and they know how to win a war! They have won against must stronger creature than us! You will not intimidate them. It will only bring them here, once they think that they can defeat us!"  
  
"We won't loose!" Goten said.  
  
"They will come and I will destroy them, before they can even step foot on this planet. They are MINE to kill!" She hissed. Junior lifted his head from his sister's shoulder and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. He still wouldn't look at Goten.  
  
"I..."  
  
"Haven't you done enough thinking?" Soyna said and leaned against her brother. They started to walk away from the scene that had been created. Vegeta moved out of the way as they walked by.  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
Vegeta felt his own anger rising. She still thought it was her battle alone. He couldn't get that thought out of her head. No matter how hard he tried to talk to her or even beat some sense into her, she wouldn't listen.  
  
Everyone just stared at Trunks and Goten. No one seemed to dare break the silence.  
  
"I know we can beat them," Goten whispered as he sank to the ground. "Why would they come here? We are to strong for them."  
  
Vegeta shook his head. "You should have told us!" His voice was sounding so loud in the silence. "You can't undo the damage that you both have done by not telling us!"  
  
He looked at his son, who had not said a word. "I'm sorry," he whispered.  
  
Vegeta just turned and walked back into the house to check on his grandchildren.  
  
  
  
.....t.b.c.  
  
  
  
  
  
AN-This chapter ended up being a little more tense that I planned it being. This sets up a lot of emotional angst that is to come as they prepare for the certain arrival of the Wodah's and the dreaded Krad(more must be said on this gentleman, don't you think?). I know there wasn't much romance as I said there would be, but I will not leave that out for you fans, hence the mention of emotional angst...,  
  
Hope you enjoy.... Please REVIEW ME! I write faster if I know people are enjoying what I write.. hint hint!  
  
Soyna.  
  



	4. Apologize?

  
  
Some really weird apologize happen, if you can call them that.   
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C-6 - Apologize?  
  
  
Junior refused to even talk to him.  
  
Goten tried to apologize over and over again, but he would just turn away. Once, Junior even walked out of the classroom when the only other seat that was available was near him. He didn't realize the secret would be so brutal. He didn't think it would upset everyone so much.  
  
Benot even took to calling him a prick now because of what happened. He didn't like the 5-year-old calling him a prick. But then, he really didn't have much of a platform to stand on any more.  
  
He even cornered Junior in gym class. "Just with all the changes that had happened and your sister trying to kill me when we arrived. It was hard to find the right time." He didn't want to say that Trunks didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to hurt Soyna.  
  
"That was the right time!" He said. His tone bitter but calm. That burst of anger was gone now. He was just bitter now. "We needed to know." He said and tried to push past Goten.  
  
Goten grabbed his arm and held him back. Goten knew that he was much stronger than he was. He knew that he could force him to listen to him, but that it wouldn't do any good. "Please Junior, you have to understand. I didn't want to worry Bulma and I really didn't want to worry my mother..."  
  
"Now you sent my sister in a fury." Junior said, still not looking at him. "She won't stop training even with her broken arm. Even when Vegeta refuses to spar with her, she goes out and nearly kills herself, trying to get stronger. She has Bulma setting up radar, so she can detect his ship I to alert her when he comes. Do you have any idea how much it would kill me to loose her?"  
  
"I was trying to protect everyone," Goten said. "I didn't want mother to worry!"  
  
Junior sighed. "All I have is my sister." He pulled his arm and walked away.  
  
Goten felt as if he had just lost his best friend.  
  
...................  
  
He had hardly talked all through lunch. She didn't really blame him. She was a little upset with him too for not telling them about their trip to the Wodah's planet and that was the reason that they came home.  
  
He looked up briefly, flashing his new black eye at her. Vegeta had taken the liberty of punching his son when he had tried to apologize to Soyna. She was there for that. Vegeta was furious with him. Especially with Soyna so ill and not stopping her training but pushing herself further. He put all the blame on Trunks.  
  
"You should have told us," Pan said.  
  
He glared at her and through clenched teeth, "I know!"  
  
He had been hearing that for days. She knew it, but had to say it again. She took a deep breath. "Now, what I am about to tell you was told to me in confidence and I am going to tell you this and you promise that you will NOT tell anyone that I told you!"  
  
He just nodded and moved his food around his plate.  
  
"Promise"  
  
"I promise already," he said. His temper sure was short.  
  
"Junior told me this one night when he was really upset with Soyna," Pan said with a sigh and prepared to tell him the story of what they went through. It had taken him all night to tell her and even then, she was sure that he had left out a lot of details.  
  
"You sure are close to him, aren't you?" Trunks said stabbing at his food.  
  
"What?" Why did he look so angry now? She heard the plate crack under his fork.  
  
"You and Junior. You two seem awful close. You two seemed to be getting along great at the pool on Saturday," He said and glaring at her.  
  
She was shocked. She blinked at Trunks before she realized what he really was implying.  
  
"So how close are you to my son?" he hissed.  
  
Pan closed her eyes for a second and tried to calm down. She slowly opened her eyes to see his blue ones glaring right at her. Accusing.  
  
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Pan said throwing the only thing she had in her hand at him, her napkin. "We are just great friends!"  
  
"Sure." His voice didn't show much confidence.  
  
She saw red! She was just going to tell him something of great importance and then he goes and implies that Junior and her were dating! She reached across the table and grabbed his fancy silk tie and yanked. She realized that she was making a scene now, but she was so angry with him. He was not expecting this move, she saw that and that gave her a bit of satisfaction just there.  
  
"Listen here, you self centered arrogant monkey! I am not the one that screwed up! I didn't keep an important secret from everyone!" She snapped and knew that she was speaking a little to loud. She could feel the eyes of the other tables on them. "You are the one that screwed up!" She gave his tie another yank. "And I am not dating Junior. We are just friends and that is all we will ever be. If you ever bother to ask instead of accusing, you would have found out that he likes a certain blond. He told me! Even Goten knows! We used to spend a lot of time together watching the twins! We are friends, like how you and I are no longer!" She threw the tie back in his face and he fell back in his chair.   
  
She stood and left, grabbing her book bag and going back to school. She could hear Trunks trying to call her but she ignored him. She didn't want to talk to him anymore.  
  
.....  
  
She sat through her next class but was not really paying much attention. She was still so angry at Trunks.  
  
She broke three pens in that class. She decided that she was going to skip her next class and go right to the gym to work off the steam, it wasn't like she was going to learn anything.  
  
Who was he to say such things? He was just as guilty as she was! It wasn't like he had Marron riding his shoulders and she saw how he flushed as he first saw her in that little bikini. Marron was being a complete flirt! She was playing the innocent girl and all the guys were all over her, as usual. Even Bra, who is married and pregnant was being a flirt and had Goten jumping for everything, when he wasn't worrying about Marron. And then he goes and says that!  
  
She quickly changed and was glad that the gym was almost empty. Just had to get rid of a little bit of steam. She normally would have put on gloves when she used the punching bags, but she didn't bother. She did a few stretches and flexed her shoulders and pictured Trunk's face on that bag.  
  
It didn't really help that much. When the bag fell to the floor she just stared at it. "Damn."  
  
"Woah, little lady."  
  
She turned to see one the usual muscle bound freaks that you found always at gyms, the type that had no flexibility at all. What good was all that muscle if you couldn't use it?  
  
"What?" she snapped. She still had her fists up and she was ready to strike anything that caused her any problems.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" he said a little nervously. "Did you hurt yourself on the bag?"  
  
She looked at her fists. She had cracked some of the skin on her knuckles. Nothing really. She lowered her hands. "No. I'm fine." She chose to just walk away and go shower off. Maybe a shower would cool her head.  
  
Her thoughts kept going back to how cold his eyes and looked when he had said that to her. Why would it upset him so much? She allowed the shower to hit her straight in the face. Was he jealous? Trunks Jealous?  
  
She shook her head. No. He couldn't be jealous. They didn't even have anything but the lunch dates that had on Wednesdays and Fridays. Well, the lunches they used to have. She had no intention of going one again, if he was going to be so self centered.  
  
She got dressed in her school clothes again and headed home. She decided to walk, for if she got on the bus, she was afraid that she would loose her patience with... well... anyone.  
  
She thought of Junior. The poor guy had been through so much. So much. If Trunks hadn't changed the topic, she would have told him what they went through to get here.  
  
He had been only twelve years old when he lost it all. It was so hard for him to talk about that part of his life. He would often be holding back his tears when he talked of it. She still remembered that night vividly as he told her how they weren't threatening when they arrived and were offering them salvation. Offering their help to help replenish the planet, to make it as lush as it once was. They came as friends. The OTHER Trunks had been eager to accept their help and so had Soyna. He had been to busy being a boy to worry about what they exactly talked about.  
  
Even when Trunks started to take ill and Soyna would not leave his beside. Forcing him to eat and drink and make sure that he was warm and clean, suspicion did not turn, at least in their minds.  
  
Bulma had been suspicious and had set about adjusting the time machine. He had asked Bulma about it, and all that she had said, was that she wanted to perfect it.  
  
He was pretty much left in the dark.  
  
Not until his father died. "That was the first and only time that I ever saw my sister cry. She didn't want to admit that he was dead. It was like she failed. She cried until the day that they buried him beside our mom. She was so large with child then, but she still wouldn't slow down. We all begged her too, and then Krad started to show his true colors and intentions."  
  
Pan slowed her pace. She remembered how she shivered as he told her why Krad wanted her. He wanted her children. He knew that her children would be strong and that they would make great warriors. He wanted her to forget about her husband and come with him. He had lost his son in the last battle they had fought and wished for another. She had outright slapped him and in her style lost her temper.  
  
She knew that Junior was leaving something out there. He could tell by his eyes and how they shimmered.  
  
Then the ultimatum came, her husband's life for her surrender. She had tried to fight but the large weight in her belly prevented her from powering up high enough and being able to complete the moves with enough force. That is when the whip wrapped around her arm. She had laughed it off and yanked it away from him. That was until he explained that there was more than enough poison on the whip to kill her, just as it had her father.  
  
She had asked how he got it in his eyes. He had just looked away and said it was his fault. He had foolishly tried to save them and only ended up causing more problems than before. She had tried to get him to explain it, but he wouldn't. He would just rub his eyes as if he were trying to get rid of a bad memory.  
  
They had barely escaped. Despite the poison starting to take hold, she had dragged her nearly blind brother to the capsule, where Bulma had charged it up and it was ready to go. "I never heard her sound so worried," he said. "Grandma never worried about much of anything, but she was shouting at us to get in and hurry. She couldn't bear to see us die too." He had such a defeated look on his face at that point. "I don't remember much more than that Pan and I don't think I want to talk about it anymore." He had left at that point to check on the twins who were not even a year old yet.  
  
If Trunks would have let her tell him about how much they had been hurt and how much that they were tortured, he could understand their anger.  
  
She clenched her fists again at the thought of Trunks and his stupid behavior. She wanted to go yell at him some more but at the same time, she didn't want to see him.  
  
Plus, she was home now anyway.  
  
As she walked in the door, she waved to her mom who was on the phone, "She just walked in. Pan. Trunks is on the phone for you!"  
  
She narrowed her eyes at the offensive phone. She thought of just walking away but she had already done that once today. She didn't want to think about him anymore. She didn't want to hear his voice, but she found herself picking up the phone. She heard his voice. "Pan. I'm sorry. I just had..."  
  
She cut him off. "I am still mad at you. I don't want to talk to you. When I do want to talk to you, I will call you. Don't call me!" She said and then hung up the phone. That did make her feel a bit better.  
  
............  
  
Trunks listened to the dial tone and felt that defeated feeling again. He couldn't believe that he was so stupid as to say the things that he had said to her. Now she was still mad at him. Everyone was mad at him!  
  
He thought of going home to the hostile house and that wasn't all that appealing. If they could get Soyna to rest for a couple of days so that her arm would set at least, maybe they wouldn't be too hard on him. He looked at the pile of paperwork that he had been unable to concentrate on.  
  
He didn't think she would get so mad. They were so close he thought that there was something going on there. And why would it matter? He wasn't really his son, but he had called him that.  
  
His head hurt. It hurt a lot. He rubbed his forehead with the palms of his hands and groaned. He wished life hadn't gotten so complicated. He had to find a way to make it so that he could go home and didn't have to dance around the house.  
  
He had to do something, but what?  
  
...............  
  
Legen was glad to finally see his mom sleeping. He had worried all day at school that he would come home to the humming of the space pod's gravity chamber, but Vegeta had been able to keep her in bed all day.  
  
He looked tired and worn out. He wondered if he had slept. He didn't ask, he looked grumpy. He was more worried about his mom. He didn't understand what happened at the pool. He didn't understand why they had been so mad and uncle was so upset. He knew it had something to do with why his mother was always pushing herself to hard to train.  
  
He brushed his hand against her cheek. She still felt warm.  
  
Her green eyes flickered open. She gave a weak smile, "Legen."  
  
"Yes mom?" he said.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" she whispered.  
  
"I've already went mom," He said.  
  
She groaned as she sat up. "Don't get up mom. You need to rest," he said.  
  
"I'm fine, Legen," She said and stretched. He watched her wince and hold her casted arm to her belly.  
  
"Are you sure mom?" He said.  
  
She looked at him with that small understanding smile. "I am the one that should be worrying about you Legen. You shouldn't worry. I will be fine. I think I'm okay now."  
  
"Are you sure?" he said. She still looked a little pale. He looked at her closely, wondering when she was going to get that angry look again. It didn't seem to be coming, like it had been since Saturday when they had that argument at the poolside.  
  
"Yeah," She said. "Now. I'm hungry. Help me get something to eat," She said and stood. She was a little shaky but she held herself up. Was his mom back to normal now? He hoped so. He didn't like to see her mom when she was in a fury. She hardly ever acknowledges him, when she is that way. He didn't like that. She looked like she was back to normal. At least, nothing set her off yet.  
  
He happily followed his mom back to the kitchen. "I'll fix you something mom. You sit down." He said trying to force her to sit down.  
  
"I can do it." She said and leaned against the counter. "I said I was feeling better, Legen."  
  
Legen smiled. "You still are weak mom, and if you want to get strong again, you have to rest. You can't get strong by pushing yourself like you were all week." He pushed her from the counter to the kitchen table and forced her to sit down. She didn't protest very much. She smiled. "I can make you some sandwiches."  
  
"That sounds fine. That should hold me until dinner," she said with that small smile. Sandwiches were about the only thing he knew how to do in the kitchen. He proudly made his mom some sandwiches only to get one stolen.  
  
"Those are for mom!" He protested at Vegeta who was quickly munching on it.   
  
"You made enough," he said and sat at the table across from mom. At least he could have brought her one too. He put the plate in front on mom, who took one and began munching slowly.  
  
"You should still be in bed," Vegeta said as he reached for another. Legen moved the plate a bit closer to her. Vegeta just stretched a little further to reach his goal. He glared at Vegeta and he was ignored.  
  
"I'm fine now." She said.  
  
"You sure?" He asked and looked like he was eyeing another sandwich. Mom hadn't even finished one yet. Did he always have to wait for someone else to make him food?  
  
"Yes."  
  
Vegeta stood then, "Don't even think of leaving the house."  
  
"I am fine Vegeta," she said starting to sound irritated. "This is not some sort of trick so you let your guard down."  
  
He just walked away then, stealing another sandwich. "I made those for MOM!" Legen yelled after him.  
  
He was just ignored as usual.  
  
He heard his mom chuckle slightly. It was good to hear that from her. "It's alright Legen. There is still enough here for me."  
  
That was when Benot and Fry burst in the door. They were giggling and most likely running away from trouble. "Mom!" Benot said and jumped into her arms. He watched as she winced but didn't complain. He glared at his brother. Sometimes, he wondered how they could be brothers! He was totally different than him in every way. He usually got in trouble because of him!  
  
"Your up. Feeling better?" He said and then grabbed a sandwich. Fry helped himself to one too. Mom still had only half finished the half that she started on. Then there was only one left! Mom needed the energy. She hadn't eaten properly all week!  
  
"Yes. I am."  
  
"You're not angry anymore?" Fry asked with his mouth full of food.  
  
"It is down a couple of notches now," she said.  
  
"Good," Benot said. "You know that the fair is in town this weekend and I really really want to go."  
  
"Quit being selfish!" Legen snapped at his brother. Mom had just been through a big shock to her system and he was talking about the fair. "Go be a moron elsewhere!" Benot stuck his tongue out at him.  
  
"Gohan won't take us!" Fry said. "He is mad about the glue still."  
  
He saw mom's eyebrow raise at that. "Glue?"  
  
Benot laughed a little nervously and climbed off mom's lap. "Well, we got to go study now." He grabbed Fry's arm and whispered angrily in his ear. He flushed.  
  
"Yeah. Study. Bye," Fry and Benot flew from the kitchen. Legen glared after his brother. He could be such a pest.  
  
"Do you know about this 'glue' incident?" She said and continued to nibble on her sandwich. Her eyes were very vibrant now. He mentally cursed his pesky brother for leaving him to tell mom.  
  
............  
  
Trunks just about didn't go home. He wanted to talk to someone. He really wanted to talk to Goten, but with Pan so mad at him right now, he didn't dare show his face over there.  
  
But he was home. He walked in the door. He could hear the sounds of the boys playing a video game. The usual sound.  
  
He wondered what type of mood dad was going to be in?   
  
He wondered how Soyna was doing?  
  
He wondered if he should try calling Pan again? He had to find a way to apologize to her without getting her mad. His mind was to full of stuff and too full of all the conflict that seem to have piled on him.  
  
Then he saw Soyna and Legen in the kitchen. She was eating a sandwich and her blond kid was watching her closely. She looked better. She didn't look as angry as she had in the past couple of days. She still looked tired though.  
  
He was ready to turn on his heal and worry about something to eat later. He was starving, since he really didn't eat much of his lunch. He had spent most of it trying to get to Pan, who was very good at evading him. He didn't want to antagonize her further. He really didn't want to send Soyna into another fury, as Junior called it.  
  
Then he saw her eyes narrow and she gave him that look again. That look that made him feel unwelcome in his own home. That look that told him that she didn't want to see him and to get out. The look that told him that she had a hard time looking at him.  
  
He couldn't help who he was! He couldn't help that he resembled the OTHER Trunks so much. Hell, he was told that so many times by his mother last year it was getting annoying. Even Gohan would say that he grew up just like him! It was hard enough to hear that and then have this woman, who didn't even resemble anyone in his family be upset at him, for looking like her father.  
  
He stood and glared back at her. After the day that he had, and she has to give him that look!  
  
............  
  
Legen could feel the tension growing in the room. He looked from his mother and back to Trunks. He didn't know what was happening between them, but the silence was quite painful. He didn't know who was going to yell first.  
  
It was Trunks that started. "I never meant to hurt you." His voice was cold and there was anger underneath it. He could sense it. He felt his mother put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"You did a poor job of that!" She said in an equally cold voice. He looked at his mother. He didn't like it when her eyes would do that. She would narrow then and look as if she could shoot ice out of them.  
  
"I told Goten not to tell anyone about that scar!" He said. "Do you know why I didn't tell! Do you want to know my reason for hiding that fact that we had encountered the same enemies?"  
  
"There is no good reason," She said and glared at him even harder.  
  
"I didn't want you to hate me even more that you already did. I didn't want you to look at me with such loathing. I didn't want to hurt you more that I already had." Trunks said. "I could see the pain in you when you looked at me. I would see it when you walked away from me. I could see it when you told me that I could never be your father."  
  
Legen looked at his mother. Her eyes had widened a bit. The glare was gone and she looked a little shocked. Her grip tightened a bit on his shoulder. She didn't look mad just yet. He wondered when that was going to happen because Trunks started to talk again.  
  
"Ever since I got home, I have tried to talk to you. I have tried to understand why it was so hard for you to even look at me. I have tried learning about you through Pan..." He looked a little pained when he said that name, "But I still don't understand you. I don't think I ever will. I didn't keep the secret to upset you. That is the last thing that I wanted to do. I left you alone. I tried to keep you safe in this house and not causing you any more pain that you already have dealt with. I can't help that I resemble the OTHER me so much. I can't help that. I am not him and I never pretended to me but I am damn tired of worrying about your feelings!"  
  
He paused. Legen expected his mother to look angry now. She wasn't though. She looked more shocked.  
  
"I thought it was best that we kept it quiet for awhile. I thought that I was saving you some more pain. I really didn't mean for this to turn out this way, but if you weren't so stubborn, maybe I could have gotten through to you!" Trunks said. He sighed now. His whole body relaxed. He looked at the floor. "I know you don't want another father. I never set out to become one, but I find myself worrying about you. I can't help it. I wonder so much about you and what it was like to be a father. What you were like growing up? What your mother was like? I so wanted to know, but I was to scared to hurt you when I asked."  
  
Legen looked back to her. She seemed to be over the shock. She didn't look angry though. She was blinking, quite a bit though. What did that mean?  
  
"I'll say that I am sorry again. I am. I really am." He then walked out of the kitchen.  
  
Legen looked at his mother. "Mom?"  
  
"Well..." Her voice was sounding distant. "He does have a back bone."  
  
.............  
  
  
  
  
...AN- Did I promise you angst or what? There are so many choices for my next chapter. The ideas are just flooding my brain...I can't type quick enough!  
I glad I got this posted before the long weekend. I hope you enjoy this chapter. About the romance, gee, I don't know... I have an idea of who I want to put together, but I upset a lot of you out there.... We shall see then.  
  
Soyna.  
  



	5. Retribution

  
  
  
  
  
  
C-7 It Never Ends  
  
  
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Goten said as he rubbed the back of his head and looked at his very angry looking niece. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
"No, but that idiot Trunks did and you two are best friends!" Pan snapped. He looked like she was about to hit him again.  
  
"Then why don't you go hit him!" Goten said moving a little bit away from the powder keg.  
  
"I am to mad at him right now!" She said and then stormed out of the room.  
  
What the hell was that about?  
  
................  
  
Gohan watched his daughter storm through the house. He thought of asking what was wrong, when she charged up to Goten and smacked him rather hard.  
  
What did Trunks do to upset her so much?  
  
He had never seen her look so angry, as she stormed past him up to her room. Videl had mentioned something about her hanging up on Trunks earlier.  
  
What did he do to his little girl?  
  
He knew that she could take care of herself. He knew that, very well. She was a very strong girl, both mentally and physically. What could be upsetting her so much now?  
  
The last couple of days had been full of turmoil, with Soyna in her state of fury and Junior no longer coming over to help Goten with his homework. He could see Goten trying hard to study. He was trying to understand the problems and he was too proud to ask his older brother for help. He also looked quite sad. He probably tried talking to Junior again. Goten still wore that bandanna around his neck, to hide the scar. He wouldn't admit if it hurt.  
  
There was a loud bang upstairs and the sound of Pan giving out a frustrated scream. "FRY!"  
  
Gohan sighed. They found the last of the glue now.  
  
...............  
  
Trunks banged his head against the desk. He had said all that and right in front of her kid too.  
  
He was such a dead man now.  
  
She didn't seem too angry with him, then, but he was sure it would come back to haunt him. Big time.  
  
But whatever had possessed him to say such things while Legen was there? The kid worried about everything so much as it was, it was just not right of him to have done that.  
  
And when dad finds out!  
  
"Stupid. Stupid." He chanted and hit his head against the desk.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?"  
  
He looked up to see his dad standing in the doorway. He looked extra grumpy and tired. He had been the one that had been watching Soyna and trying to keep her under control. He was the one that would drag her back into the house after she exhausted herself. He was the one that sat in the chair beside her bed and slept while keeping and eye on her. He couldn't believe that it was his father doing those things. They had all told him that she was very over protective, even more than he had been of Bra, with Soyna. He didn't really see it until this last week.  
  
"Nothing," Trunks said.  
  
He saw his father's eyes narrow. Gohan had told him story's of what is father was like before and how much he had changed since his coming to earth. He was young then and didn't really believe that his father could be all that evil. I mean, he was his father after all. But then, he had seen the other side of his father a time or two since then. He looked like he did now. Angry, mean, and ready for a fight.  
  
His father made a non-committal sound and walked away.  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Maybe he should move out? But where would he go? He didn't want to live downtown. Too many people, he could never fly if he were late, like he does now. Then he would have to worry about...  
  
He shook the thought out of his head. He had other things to worry about that were much more pressing! The problem was, he didn't have a clue what he was going to do about it.  
  
..................  
  
"But mom," Legen said as she put on a sweater over her t-shirt. "You told Vegeta that you weren't leaving."  
  
"I am not going out to train," she said as she squeezed the cast into the sleeve.  
  
"Then can I go with you?" He said. He didn't know how to fly but he didn't really trust his mom to go on her own. She still looked so tried. "Please! Please mom. I won't be a burden." He especially didn't want her to go into a fury out in the middle of nowhere. He was quite surprised that mom wasn't mad at Trunks and the comment she made, just confused him. He expected half the kitchen to be gone after he left but she had just sighed, nibbled at her food in silence and then started to get dressed to go out.  
  
She sighed and looked at him.  
  
That was a yes sigh!  
  
"I'll go get my jacket!"  
  
He loved to fly with his mother. He didn't get to do it very often but when he did, it just felt great. She wasn't flying very fast and he knew that was because she was carrying him under her good arm. He loved how the wind felt in his face and how it whipped his hair around. He really wished he knew how to fly, but no one would teach him. He didn't dare ask Vegeta! Benot learned that mistake the hard way. Vegeta flew him up quite high and let him drop. Benot still didn't know how to fly.  
  
They didn't go very far from the city.  
  
They landed near a nice little stream that surrounded by trees and was alive with the sounds of birds. It was quite beautiful. "Wow! Do you come here often?" He asked as he looked into the clear stream.  
  
"No." She said and sat beneath a tree. She looked distressed. Why was she upset?  
  
"What's wrong mom?" he asked and went to stand in front of her.  
  
"This place is just like it is in my time," she whispered and picked some grass and twirled it in her fingers. "It was one of the few untouched places that the androids didn't destroy."  
  
She looked up at him with uncertainty in her eyes. He didn't like when she did that.  
  
"Did I ever tell you how much you look like your father?" She said.  
  
He shook his head. She seldom even talked of his father. He knew that he had died trying to save her and his uncle. He knew that she had loved him dearly because every time uncle would mention it, she would get upset.  
  
"Uncle told me once," he said. What was she trying to say? Why were they here? This place seemed to be upsetting her more than being at the house had. Was it because he insisted on coming?  
  
She gave a small smile. "Yes. I believe he did," she said and her eyes turning to the trees. It was as if were remembering things from a time that he never lived in. He wanted to know what she was thinking but didn't dare ask at the same time.  
  
"This place is where I come to think about the part of the family I lost. My Father. My Mother. Your Father. I miss them a lot," she said.  
  
Legen sat beside his mother. "It's not so bad here, is it?"  
  
"No. Just different," she said. "You boy's are safer here than you ever would have been back then. You have proper schooling. You have so much more here. You have all that I never had. But you still don't have a father," her voice was soft. "That is the one thing that I wish I could give you."  
  
What the hell was she saying? Legen gave her an odd look. "You could."  
  
"What?" she said.  
  
"You just have to find a boyfriend," Legen said. "Then you could get us a dad! One that is not grumpy like Vegeta or a nervous wreck like Trunks." He said. "You can date you know!"  
  
There was a look of utter shock on his mother face. He smiled brightly at her. "Then you wouldn't be so lonely and then maybe your nightmares would stop!"  
  
She gave out a rather unusual laugh! He was pleased to hear it. She messed his hair. "Silly kid. Let's go home now."  
  
"Aw, but we just got here and it is nice here," Legen said with a wide grin. "Can't we stay a little while longer?"  
  
"A little while, if you don't mention dating again."  
  
"It's a good idea though mom. You can't spend your whole life just worrying about Benot and I. We will grow up. You need to find a guy that will look after you and make you happy," he said.  
  
She shook her head. "You have been talking with your Oma."  
  
"Well. You could look like a girl if you tired!" he said unaware of the glare his mother was now giving him. "If you didn't wear your fighting clothes all the time. I know guys look at you. When we went to the mall, there was a whole bunch ogling you! Didn't you see how upset Vegeta was with that one clerk, whom you were buying those boots from? I am sure you could find a nice guy that would be our dad."  
  
Legen was quite surprised to feel his mother's hand over his mouth. He looked at her. "That is quite enough," she said with a smile. "I don't think I could go through that again."  
  
What was that supposed to mean?  
  
......................  
  
Junior got home late. He forced himself to stay at the school and study and try not to think about the weekend. He was also a little scared to see what condition his sister was in. He was glad that the lawn bore no signs of a fight. That was good. The house was even quiet.  
  
He walked in listening for any sign that his sister was still in a fury. It was quiet. He went up to her room and was grateful that she was there. She was sitting in her overstuffed chair going through the only thing they had from their time. The picture book that the OTHER Bulma had placed in the time capsule when they knew that they were going to have to escape.  
  
She didn't look through it often. He knew that. It upset her a lot to see those pictures. It was bad enough that she thought about it all the time.  
  
"Sis?" he said as he slowly entered the room. She looked up from the book. She looked mildly distressed, but nothing like how she looked when she was in a fury. She looked better. Tired, but better. "How are you feeling?"  
  
She shrugged and looked back down at the book. Her fingers were tracing a picture. He approached her and looked at the one she was looking at. It was a picture of her when she was about 5, in the arms of a very proud father. She was all bruised and beat up looking, but she was beaming at her proud catch of a wild pig. Her first hunt. Her grin could not be bigger in the picture.  
  
His father didn't change much from that time. His purple hair, not as vibrant as THIS time's counter part. There were streaks of gray throughout. The reason that his father kept his hair shorter than in his younger days.  
  
She flipped the page to another picture that she was always fond of. It was a picture of her and Brennen. He looked at the picture and saw how much his sister seemed to age from that time. Her hair was a little shorter then, a little wilder, but she was so happy that day. She was sitting proudly beside him with such a wide grin and starry eyes. He was all of 6 and was sitting on her lap. It was also the only day that he ever saw her in a dress. It was her wedding picture. She didn't have a big white frilly dress, like Bra did at her wedding, but the simple white skirt and blouse was more than enough on his sister, who usually wore baggy clothes or her battle armor. He remembered how stunned dad was to see her in that dress. He couldn't believe that it was his daughter! He could hardly believe it was his sister. Even Brennen was shocked.  
  
This little photo of her, with her hair in disarray from a night of dancing and drinking, her husband without his formal jacket and his suspenders down his waist and his tie loosened, with him on her lap in his best clothes that have gotten as mussed up as Brennen's, was her favorite for some reason. There were some that he preferred better, when they didn't look so rough. But she liked this one.  
  
Her fingers traced the image of her former husband. He was a big man that had towered over her and even rivaled Dad in height. Most people were intimidated by that fact that he was so large, but Soyna was not one to be intimidated by anyone. They looked like an odd couple, with Soyna being so small, but then, if you knew Soyna, you knew better.  
  
"Legen is going to turn out just like him," she said. She didn't look up. She just flipped to another picture. An older one. One of their mother holding her when she was a baby. She sure looked a lot like her. Dad was nervously sitting beside her, unsure of what being a father to a girl would be like. You could see the look on his face.  
  
"He did save us, didn't he?" she said.  
  
He knew she was referring to Brennen. "Yes, he did."  
  
She closed the book and set it to the side of the chair. "Things would have worked out."  
  
What brought all these thought on? "Sis?"  
  
She looked up. "I am feeling sorry for myself again."  
  
"Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"I won't go into a fury again. I think I worried everyone enough and I can't fight with a bum arm," she said. "I'm not mad anymore."  
  
He blinked, Soyna, not mad at someone? That certainly was odd. Especially with the recent shocking news. Not mad? "Are you sick?" He asked and touched her forehead. She shook his hand away.  
  
"No," she said. "Nothing like that you fool!" she said and stood. "I got to prepare smarter. He won't come down and try to sell us salvation. He will come down in a different way. He will catch us by surprise. We got to minimize it."  
  
He blinked at his sister.  
  
"I will train harder. I will make the next level and I will destroy him," she said. "I won't loose this family."  
  
She was more determined that ever.  
  
She yawned, "I'm going to sleep now and I will begin my training tomorrow again."  
  
"But you arm..."  
  
"My arm is not the only thing to fight with," she said. "I am the big sister. I know what is best."  
  
He sometimes wondered.  
  
...................  
  
  
Trunks darted back into his room. Eavesdropping was something that he was getting very good at, he wasn't proud of it, but it was invasive way of finding out information.  
  
Soyna still didn't seem to be upset at him. He was a little scared about that. She was always hostile towards him and now, even after yelling at her in front of her kid, she didn't seem to care. It confused him.  
  
He wished that he didn't get Pan mad at him. He wished he could talk to her.  
  
.................  
  
Bulma smiled.  
  
It wasn't very often that she saw her husband like this. He had collapsed on the bed, with only one of his boots removed. He was still in his day clothes and snoring lightly.  
  
It was adorable, she wished she had a camera handy.  
  
She stared at him a bit. These were the times in which she didn't wonder why she fell in love with such an arrogant jerk.  
  
"What woman?" he said groggily after awhile. He just opened one eye a slit. He gave no indication that he was planning on moving.  
  
"Nothing," she said with a smile.  
  
She liked the slight changes in him that happened since Soyna's arrival. He wasn't so harsh towards anyone. He was still Vegeta but there was a softer side that showed more often. She liked it. Soyna's own arrogance and pride compensated for it.  
  
She turned and went to wash up for the evening. Upon her return, Vegeta was back asleep. He worried so much about Soyna at times. She was a big girl and was able to make her own decisions, but Vegeta sometimes coddled her too much. Encouraged her excessive training and her taste for vengeance. Something, that he could never have against those that hurt him in the past. Maybe that was why he allowed it. He would not allow his own daughter to learn to fight, but he did not even try to hinder Soyna once. She was still sometimes disturbed by a comment he had made about Soyna. She still didn't know if it was a good thing. She didn't know if she like the fact that Vegeta saw her as an equal. "She doesn't act like a silly sappy human, but like a true fully blooded Saiyian."  
  
If that were the case, she was glad that there was only him left. A bunch of grumpy people with tails running around the universe was kind of scary.  
  
She sighed.  
  
Life was a lot easier when she didn't have to worry about Saiyian pride.  
  
...................  
  
Trunks went to the only place that he could think of to talk. His sister. He didn't want to talk to his little sister, but he couldn't talk to anyone else.  
  
He confessed to her what he told Soyna. She just listened to him. When he looked at her, he wasn't sure how to read his sister's face.  
  
"She didn't get mad at you?" she finally said.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"And you said that right in front of Legen?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
Bra just looked at her distressed brother. He was truly upset and what he did but she could also see that he was leaving something out too. "You two have never really talked, have you?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"Maybe you should."  
  
"How can I? Every time I go into the room, she leaves and then she gives me that icy stare. I usually clam up when I'm near her. She just makes me feel so uncomfortable!" He said, frustration creeping into his voice.  
  
"I know," Bra said. "But you should really try harder. You shouldn't be so worried about hurting her. She is strong enough to take it. Prove to her that you aren't a wimp and she may respect you."  
  
From the look on her brother's face, she could tell that the words weren't helping. She sighed. She had talked to Soyna about how cold she was towards him. She just shook her head and gave a cruel little laugh. "He is not my father. He doesn't act like him at all. He just runs to the office all the time to hide."  
  
She knew that it was true.  
  
"You are not helping," he growled. Sometimes he could sure act like dad.  
  
"You came to me," she said. "What caused you to loose your temper? Bad day at the office?"  
  
He straightened and stiffened. Oh, it was more than a bad day at the office? A girl? "I don't want to talk about it. I came to talk about Soyna."  
  
Bra shook her head.   
  
"What?" He snorted. "Don't you give me that look! That only works on dad!"  
  
"Is it a girl?"  
  
He twisted uncomfortably in the chair. Yep, it was a girl all right. She didn't know that Trunks was interested in anyone. She couldn't help but smile.  
  
"It nothing like that!" he said. He stood. "I'll just go home. You're not being any help."  
  
She laughed at her brother. "Don't run off Trunks. I won't ask any more questions. I promise!" She said. "I'll heat you something to eat. You look hungry."  
  
She knew he was hungry. His stomach was growling quite fiercely. He hesitantly sat back down. "How can I say that I am sorry for all the stupid things I have been doing lately?" He looked so crushed.  
  
................  
  
He had left his sisters around ten and just flew around for awhile, hoping to beat off some of his frustration that was haunting him.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
He didn't think anyone would be awake when he walked into the house and was startled to see Soyna in the living room, in the chair that she usually claimed for her own. She was looking in a book.  
  
She looked at him, but there wasn't that cold look in her eyes that was usually there to haunt him.  
  
He wondered all over again what it would have been like to be her real father. What was it like watching her grow up into the woman that was so sad? Did he do that to her? Would he raise his own children differently that his OTHER self did?  
  
She flipped the page in the book and looked back down. In a low voice, he heard her whisper, "I like this picture the best."  
  
He slowly approached and looked over her shoulder at the photo album to see a picture of his OTHER self holding a beat up little girl that must have been Soyna.  
  
  
  
  
..........  
  
A.N. -- More hopefully coming soon!!!  
  



	6. As the World Turns...

It Never Ends  
  
  
C-8   
  
As The World Turns...  
  
....  
  
Bulma woke and was surprised to see her husband still sleeping. She wasn't about to wake him, but she could hear Benot and Legen arguing in the hall and that would wake him if they got any louder. She quickly threw on a robe and rushed into the hall.  
  
"Let mom sleep!" Legen said blocking his brother from entering her room.  
  
"But I'm hungry!" Benot whined! "I need food and who is going to make our lunch? We have to wake mom up!"  
  
"Easy boys," Bulma sighed. "I can make you breakfast and you lunches."   
  
"But mom's cooking tastes better than yours!" Benot said. "I don't want to get sick!"  
  
Legen covered his mouth to stifle a laugh and backed a little bit away from his brother.  
  
Bulma glared at the boy. Fear was creeping into his face now that he realized what he just said.  
  
"Sorry Oma. I..." Benot stammered. He gulped. He knew he was in trouble now. Legen was still trying to stop himself from laughing. "I'm sorry. I mean. Mom makes the best pancakes. I just wanted to have her pancakes and..."  
  
"You WILL eat what I cook for YOU and YOU will enjoy it!" Bulma snapped at the boy.  
  
Benot cringed. "Yes Oma."  
  
"Downstairs and let everyone else sleep," She said. "I will be down in five."  
  
"Yes Oma," Benot said and slowly began to shuffle down to the kitchen. She snorted and turned back into her own bedroom in which she had planned on getting dressed to feed the inconsiderate children! She heard them muttering to each other as they went downstairs and then they started to insult each other.   
  
Boys.  
  
As she reentered her bedroom to see Vegeta sitting on the bed with an amused crooked smile on his face.  
  
"What?" she snapped at him.  
  
"The boy does have a point," he said and that smile crept a little wider.  
  
She threw the nearest thing she could at him.  
  
......  
  
  
Gohan was surprised at the flowers that totally covered the kitchen table. "Videl?"  
  
"Oh, Hi honey. Your home a little early today," she said as she walked around the forest of flowers on the table.  
  
"What is all this about?" He said.  
  
"They are for Pan. It looks like she has finally got a boyfriend," Videl smiled. "Or at least an admirer. I think after the bad day that she had yesterday, this should cheer her up!"  
  
"Who are they from?" Gohan asked. He didn't know that his little girl was even interested in anyone. He thought she was to busy at school.  
  
Videl shrugged.  
  
....  
  
Gohan stared at the card that was stuck in some roses. Videl had already slapped his hand and told him that it wasn't for him to open. He would have to wait until Pan came home to find out who her suitor was.  
  
Suitor.  
  
He didn't know if he like that idea. His little tomboy had grown into a woman and he was a little shocked sometimes, especially when she wore a dress. She didn't wear them very often, but she would wear the odd skirt now and she worried about her hair and wore makeup. He blamed Bra's influence on her for that. He was happy with his little fighter.  
  
The card was calling him. Who was it? Who was trying to court his little girl?  
  
Goten entered the kitchen. "Woah! Gohan! Did you do something wrong?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why did you buy all these flowers for Videl?"  
  
"I didn't buy them for Videl." Gohan said.  
  
"Then who did?" Goten said plucking the card from in front of him. He grabbed the card back and placed it back in the roses.  
  
"They are for Pan!" He said. "I don't know who sent them to her!"  
  
Goten looked at the roses and lily's, "Who ever he is, he must have a lot of money. This must have cost a fortune. Hey, want to go spar? I'm itching for a fight." He flexed his arms. "Trunks is to busy and...well, I am not really that welcome over at the Brief's household right now."  
  
Gohan sighed. He nodded. Anything to get his mind off the fact that there was someone that was courting his little girl.  
  
....  
  
Junior was disappointed to see that his sister had removed her cast. She did tensor her arm and held it to her belly, but there was no way, the bone could have been healed that well yet. She wasn't wearing her battle armor that she liked to train in, but a baggy sweat suit that had seen better days. Vegeta was no where in sight. Well, at least she wasn't training too hard.  
  
She stopped her kicks against the pole and nodded to him.  
  
He frowned. "What happened to your cast?"  
  
"It was bothering me," she said. "I removed it."  
  
He really wished he could understand his sister. She gave him a half smile. She rolled her shoulders and walked up to him. "Your not going to get upset over that are you?"  
  
He sighed. "Your arm won't heal right..."  
  
"It will," she said. "I know how to take care of myself. I always have." She walked towards him and looped her good arm in his. "Haven't I?"  
  
He looked down at his 'little' sister. She was so much stronger than him in so many ways. She was always his protector. Always. He felt that he owed her so much. He leaned against her. She was so tiny but it was comforting at the same time. He never knew his mother and she was all that he had. She raised him mostly by herself. Father wasn't there much in the beginning. He didn't know why for the longest time. He thought his father didn't love him. Soyna told him not to worry about that, he loved him, he just remembers their mother all to clearly and it hurts him so badly that she is gone. He didn't realize until they came to this time, that it wasn't him his father ran from, it was her. Because of how much she looked like mother.  
  
"Yeah. You have," he said. "You have been taking it easy haven't you?"  
  
"I didn't even spar with Vegeta today. Plus Bulma had other plans for him. I guess he really pissed her off this morning," Soyna grinned. "He was forced to go shopping."  
  
He smiled at that. Vegeta hated shopping. He was going to be grumpy when he got home and it would be wise to stay out of his way, but it was still humorous thought.  
  
They walked to the house and she started the meal. Something that she really didn't do that often any more. She usually was so busy training that she wouldn't realize what time it was until the boys would announce that they were home from school.  
  
He helped her as they worked on the meal together. She sure was in a good mood. He was a little concerned, from going from a fury to this calm state was quite confusing. She usually took a while to totally calm down.  
  
She must have noticed his concerned looks.  
  
"I had a talk with Trunks last night," she said as she stirred some sauce.  
  
He stopped and stared at her. "What about?" He couldn't help but tense up. He had been trying to get her to be civilized to him since he arrived and now she talks to him? After the secret that they kept from them!  
  
She shrugged. "I'm not mad at him anymore. I forgave him."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
She looked at him with an amused look on her face. She almost looked like she was going to laugh. She said simply. "I think you should try to talk to Goten."  
  
Goten.  
  
How could he not be mad at Goten? They had become such good friends. He was beginning to consider him his best friend. How could he just forgive him? How could his sister? She just didn't fold like that! She could be mad at someone forever!  
  
"Trunks told him not to tell. He was just trying to protect me," she said. She took the knife that he had been dicing an onion with from his hand. "I saw a bit of my father in him yesterday."  
  
"But..."  
  
""I know you miss Goten. You two spent a lot of time studying together," she said.  
  
"But..."  
  
"I'm supposed to be the stubborn one!" she said slapping the knife on the table. He jumped slightly at the noise. His sister's eyes were boring into him. She usually saved that look for when he screwed something up. He used to get that look when he was younger.  
  
"Ah..." he gasped. Forgive Goten? Could he? He did miss their study sessions. He didn't realize how much he did enjoy sitting in the Son's living room, surrounded by books, watching him pulling at his hair over a problem or asking how he should word the essay. He even missed the few sparing sessions that they had the every odd week. He wasn't much of a fighter but Goten didn't seem to mind, he just wanted to stretch his muscles for a bit. Then there were the odd times when he would get to see Pan pound her uncle into the ground. It seemed that he let her sometimes and then others, he struggled to defeat her.  
  
The scar on his throat that he kept hidden. The same scar that Soyna had on her arm, the scar from Krad's whip. The same poison infected them all, the same poison that killed their father. He helped keep it a secret. He knew how much he dreaded the come of Krad. He knew.  
  
"I can't," he said and looked at the floor.  
  
She sighed. "Well, will you hurry up and beat him up then! It will certainly make you feel better then," she snapped. "I hate it when you mope around!"  
  
He looked at her startled. It took him awhile to find words but as he was about to speak Benot bounded into the kitchen. "YEAH! Mom is cooking dinner! I am starving! We won't have to eat Oma's cooking!"  
  
.............  
  
Pan could feel that Gohan and Goten were sparing. That was unusual for a Thursday, but she figured that Gohan must have had a hard day at the school. She herself was hoping to spar with Goten. School was hard today. She was so tired. She hadn't slept well the night before. She had a hard time staying awake in a few classes and screwed up her lab. She ended up staying late to redo the lab, so she wouldn't loose any marks.  
  
She was definitely hungry.  
  
She walked into the kitchen and was shocked to see the table full of flowers. Did dad do something wrong? Why would he buy mom so many flowers?  
  
She sniffed them. They were so beautiful. "Mom?" she called.  
  
She saw her mom in the living room, reading a book. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Pan. You are late? Did something go wrong today?"  
  
"I screwed up in class and had to stay late to fix it? Why all the flowers?" she asked.  
  
"There for you dear. I don't know who they are from," Videl said with a smile. "I didn't open the card."  
  
She looked at the huge amount of flowers. For her? Who would send her so many flowers? She didn't know anyone at school that had a crush on her. Hell, she tended to scare off all the boys. Who?  
  
"Why don't you go open the card Pan," Videl said.  
  
Pan dumbly walked into the kitchen and plucked the plain white envelope out of the flowers and opened it.  
  
She was very aware of her mother's eyes on her.  
  
The note was from Trunks. She just about crumpled it right there but she read it anyway, just so she wouldn't disappoint her mother who was looking at her with eager eyes. She probably thought it was from a boyfriend. It couldn't hurt for her to have that illusion for a little while.  
  
I am so sorry Pan. So, so sorry. I know the flowers will never really   
make up for what I did and said. I was being stubborn and foolish   
through this whole thing. I'm sorry. Maybe we can talk over lunch   
Friday. Please forgive me Pan. I am sorry. I truly am. I will make   
up for all of my foolish actions that I did that day. I am sorry.   
forgive me. I promise that I will be more understanding of your   
friendship with Junior. I know it was foolish of me. I even heard him   
talking about that blond the other day. I don't know why I   
would even accuse you of that. You are not one to hide anything, why   
would you hide your relationship?  
  
Please show up to lunch of Friday. I will be waiting at our usual   
restaurant.  
  
Trunks  
  
p.s. I hope the flowers help a little.  
  
She resisted the urge to crumple the note. She was too tired to be mad at him any more.  
  
"Who are they from dear?"  
  
She looked at her mother who had that glassy eyed look on her face.  
  
She folded the letter and put in her pocket. "No one important mom."  
  
She didn't like seeing her mother give her that crushed look. "I'm rather hungry mom. Where are we going to eat?"  
  
.............  
  
  
Gohan felt Pan come home. He wanted to know who was sending her flowers, but Goten kept coming at him, and he wasn't about to let his little brother win. He did have that much pride in him.  
  
It wasn't until he Goten took too long to get off the ground that he allowed himself to power down. "I think that's it," he announced to his brother and offered his hand to help him up.  
  
Goten just nodded under his mop of hair and then laid down on the lawn. "I think I will catch my breath. Right. Here."  
  
Gohan shook his head and then went to more pressing matters.  
  
The flowers were now spread throughout the living room. Videl and Pan were at the kitchen table. Pan was eating and Videl was talking.  
  
He looked at the two most important women in his life. "So. Who are the flowers from?"  
  
Videl shrugged.  
  
"No one important," Pan mumbled with a mouth full of food.  
  
'No one important?' he thought. His whole house smelled of lily's and roses and it was no on important? It made him feel better at the same time though. His little girl was not having a romance behind his back. She would set the guy straight next time that she saw him. He smiled and left the room. That was one thing that he did not have to worry about for a long time to come yet.  
  
.............  
  
Goten closed his eyes for a bit on the lawn. It was a nice evening. He hadn't spared with Gohan in a long while and it felt good to get a good fight but at the same time, he always felt weak fighting his brother. He could always find that next bit of energy from somewhere. He didn't have that ability. At one time, he thought he could have beat him. At one time. He knew that he trained more that him, but Gohan was just... good.  
  
He opened his eyes to see the blue ones of his nephew peering down at him. "Are you okay uncle Goten?" he asked. He looked so much like Videl.  
  
"Just resting kid," he said but really didn't have that much of a will to move.  
  
"You sure?" he said.  
  
"Yeah. I just lost to your dad. That's all," he said.  
  
Fry sat down beside him. "Why were you fighting?"  
  
"We weren't. We were just sparring. Needed to let out steam and I lost," he said.  
  
"Oh," he said. He seemed to have a look of contemplation on his face. "What are you upset about?"  
  
"I just lost my best friend," Goten said. It hurt just to say it. Yeah, Junior had become his best friend. He was more than someone to help him with his homework.  
  
"Oh. I know what that is like. Last year one of my best friends moved away. He always had the best video games," Fry sighed.  
  
"It's something like that," Goten said.  
  
"So, Junior won't be coming over for a while then, huh?" he said.  
  
"No." Goten said. "I don't think so. He won't accept my apology."  
  
"Oh," Fry said. "Soyna was pretty mad to, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. She was," Goten said. He shuttered slightly. She was always cold towards him, but he never got the look Trunks did until that day by the pool.  
  
"She wasn't to bad yesterday. She was calm and everything," Fry said.  
  
"That's good news," Goten sighed.  
  
"How mad do you think she was?"  
  
"Very."  
  
He sighed. "Do you think that she would take us to the fair?"  
  
Goten sat up then and looked at his nephew. There was a fair in town. He thought he had heard Gohan yelling at him about the glue incident the other night and Fry had gone crying to his room about it. Plus, why would they want Soyna to take them? She wasn't like she was a fair type person to him. He knew that she was good to her boys, but she really didn't seem like the type of person that played with them.  
  
Fry bit his lip and did the big-eyed-plea to him. "Do you think?"  
  
"I think that is up to Gohan," Goten said.  
  
He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I thought you would say that."  
  
Goten shook his head. "Let's go in and talk to Gohan. He may be in a better mood after beating me up."  
  
"You think?" Fry said suddenly cheerful.  
  
"Let's go try."  
  
.............  
  
Junior sat across the room from him again in class. Goten could tell that he hadn't slept much. He kept rubbing his eyes under his dark glasses. He wasn't going to bother him today, he had planned to stay out of his way and leave him alone to his own thoughts. He had so much other stuff to worry about.  
  
But he found himself moving his books and sitting next to him.  
  
Junior gave him a glare that made him look so much like Vegeta. It was scary. He hated it when he did that.  
  
"Junior..." he began.  
  
"I am NOT talking to YOU!" He snapped. Very Vegeta like. Very.  
  
"You can't ignore me forever!" Goten snapped back. "I said I was sorry. Do I have to beg!"  
  
"Nothing you could do, would make me forgive you," He growled and stood. Goten wasn't going to let him run away this time. Not at all! He grabbed his arm.   
  
He pulled sharply away. "You can't avoid me forever!" Goten was very aware of the looks of his fellow classmates. They all knew that they had a fight about something. The two people that were inseparable were at each other's throats. They had tried to figure out what was wrong between the two former friends but everyone figured it was a girl.  
  
"Watch me!" Junior said. He turned to leave.  
  
Goten jumped over the desk, knocking it over and then grabbed his arm again. He didn't expect Junior to throw the first punch, but the fight was on.  
  
The first class of the day had a brawl.  
  
......  
  
  
A.N..... Turning into a regular soap opera, isn't it? Hope you are all still enjoying it. (HINT HINT REVIEW ME!! INPUT PEOPLE INPUT)  
Will Pan show up for lunch with Trunks?  
What did Soyna and Trunks talk about?  
How will Goten and Junior's fight turn out?  
Will the boys get to go the fair and who will take them?  
What about this glue incident?  
When will the promised romance start?  
Stay tuned.  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Should I go?

  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
  
  
C9 ---Should I go?  
  
"Son and Briefs." He looked down at the two boys that had just destroyed the history classroom. Both of their uniforms were torn and they were both sheepishly looking at the floor.  
  
He shook his head. He knew putting those two together would be trouble but Gohan assured him that everything would be okay. "Goten has matured and Junior just isn't like Trunks. You won't have the same problems that you had before."  
  
It took three months to get them into the principal's office. Before, he was just a teacher having to deal with them, now, he was front and center. He had to deal with the Son and Briefs family and was hoping he could retire before the next generation comes through.  
  
"Son and Briefs," he whispered again. "What do you two boys have to say for yourself?"  
  
"Sorry sir," Goten said in a meek voice.  
  
He rolled his eyes.  
  
"We got carried away," Junior said and rubbed his hands against his arms as if he were trying to warm himself.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"I have no choice but to call your guardians." He said.  
  
They both groaned. If there was one thing that he knew, both their families were insane and would punish the boys much worse that his already in place 2 weeks of detention after they are suspended for a week.  
  
.............  
  
Goten rubbed his ears. "My ears already hurt and my mom hasn't even started to yell at me yet."  
  
"I just home that it is Bulma that they get a hold of," Junior said. "Sis will kill me."  
  
"She's always nice to you," he said. "Bulma will yell your ear off and then sic Vegeta on you."  
  
"That is better than Soyna," Junior said. "You've seen her when she is angry, just imagine that anger turned on you."  
  
Goten gave a nervous chuckle. "I guess were both toast."  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
..............  
  
Gohan knew what the destruction of the classroom meant. He had thought they would have fought a long time ago, but not in school. He shook his head and announced to his class that they were going to have a special outside class today.  
  
There were a couple of scorch marks on the wall, the chalkboard was shattered and it looked like only two desks survived.  
  
He grinned. Mom was going to be furious.  
  
...............  
  
Pan looked at the note again.  
  
She hadn't yet decided if she was going to lunch with him. She wasn't so mad at him anymore but she didn't know if she was ready to see him yet. She didn't want to create another scene in the restaurant. Once was more than enough.  
  
She remembered the look of relieve on her father's face when she told him that the flowers were not from someone important. He worried too much about her. She had a mother who was wondering if there were any nice boys in her class and a father who worried about those nice boys corrupting his 'innocent' little girl.  
  
What would he do when she did find the right guy? She smiled at the thought. She would probably have to defend him. She would just have to hope she could sneak him through like Bra did with Raymond. Vegeta didn't through him out once. Threatened his life a couple of times, but he still stood by Bra. She wished she could find a guy like Raymond. Or at least strong enough to stand by her side and not be afraid of her father, who was not as intimidating as Vegeta.  
  
It was time to concentrate on school. Her next class started in five minutes and she was walking way to slow to make it on time.  
  
She slipped the note into her back pocket and sped up her pace.  
  
Would she ever find the right guy for her? Hell, would see find a guy that would understand her crazy family and friends. She knew they were not like a normal family. How would any guy's family react to hers? Maybe that is why she couldn't find the right guy for her. She was worrying too much about how her family would react.  
  
She sighed.  
  
And why did what Trunks said bother her so much?  
  
..............  
  
"Sis!" Junior stood up. He looked so nervous it was almost funny.  
  
Goten looked up to see the short woman smirking at them both. She had her one arm wrapped in a tensor. It was the first time, that he saw her wearing a short sleeved shirt. It was quite snug on her and showed some ample cleavage. He knew he shouldn't notice that but he was after all, only a man. She was wearing some slightly baggy jeans that made her look really good. He was sure she could look good in anything.  
  
"You didn't have to take me so literally," she said as she looked at her brother.  
  
"He started it," Junior said pointing to Goten.  
  
"Hey! You punched me first!" Goten retaliated.  
  
"You grabbed me!" Junior counted. "I just wanted to get away from you!" Junior gave his shoulder a push.  
  
"Was I supposed to let you pummel me?" Goten said and gave Junior a push back.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Soyna snapped. They stopped at looked at her. Goten thought she was going to be angry, but she had a rather amused look on her face. "I will go talk to your principal and then I will deal with you two later."  
  
They both sank back into the chairs.  
  
The principal came out and greeted her. "I am so sorry to have to trouble you," he said. "You are the only one that I could reach."  
  
"That is quite all right."  
  
"Would you step inside?"  
  
She did.  
  
Goten was hopeful. "She doesn't look that mad."  
  
Junior groaned. "That doesn't mean anything. She probably already has a nasty little punishment in mind. Do not be fooled by her exterior. I know her better than you do."  
  
"So this isn't good?"  
  
Junior shook his head. "I know she was planning on training with Vegeta today. They were talking about it when I left for school. She gets testy when she doesn't have her exercise."  
  
"She seems so calm," Goten said.  
  
"Yeah. The storm will hit soon," Junior mumbled. "You have heard of the calm before the storm."  
  
Goten sank a little further in his chair.  
  
.............  
  
  
"They have been in there a long time," Goten said as he looked at his watch. It has been over an hour. What could they be talking about?  
  
Junior just grunted and rubbed his eyes. He looked like he was going to fall asleep.  
  
The door opened and Soyna and the principal walked out of the room. They both stood and were motioned to sit down again. "We are going to check out the damage."  
  
They both groaned.  
  
Soyna followed the principal out of the office, with an amused smile on her face.  
  
"She seems to be enjoying our misery," Goten said.  
  
Junior just grunted.  
  
"Hey, you were talking to me before," Goten said. "I'm not that bad of a person am I?"  
  
Junior sighed, "If my sis, can forgive Trunks, I guess..." He shook his head. "I am still mad at you though!"  
  
Soyna forgave Trunks? That was good news, wasn't it? Even better news, was that he was going to forgive him! "So we can be friends again?" Goten said hopefully. He desperately needed help in physics. Junior had that Brief's brain, where physics was second nature.  
  
Junior nodded. "But I am still upset with you! You shouldn't have kept it from me!"  
  
He nodded. "I know!" Goten said with a grin. "The shock of your sister nearly blasting me into nothing when I got back was a shock enough to begin with and then all this and that and then Trunks telling me this and..."  
  
Junior put his hand over Goten's mouth. "You're babbling."  
  
"Sorry." He mumbled behind the hand. He smiled slightly and sat back in the uncomfortable office chair. At least one good thing came out of the fight.  
  
....  
  
Junior was really quite amazed that he did feel better after landing a couple of punches on Goten. He knew that Goten could easily best him but he did land a couple of shots. He even felt better when he connected with his nose and saw that blood trickle down.  
  
It must be the Saiyian part of him. A part of himself that he knew wasn't very strong. His sister got the lion's share of those genes. He didn't think she was right that getting into a fight with him, would make him feel better, but he did feel a lot better. A lot!  
  
But he also knew that Goten would be groveling for the next while for him to help him with his schoolwork. He knew that he was falling behind in a few classes. He had the advantage for awhile and he was going to use it.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
He looked up to see Drivan, one of their classmates. "You two still here?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"What were you two fighting about? A girl?" Drivan said as he peered around the door. "It was a girl, wasn't it?"  
  
"Sort of," Goten said.  
  
Junior just shook his head. The reason he got so mad was because of how his sister reacted afterward. So he guessed, it sort of had to do with a girl, just not in the way that Drivan was thinking.  
  
"Cool! Hey, did you two see the babe with the principal?" he said, leaning further into the doorway.  
  
Junior sat up straight. "That is my sister!"  
  
"Woah man!" Drivan smiled. "That is YOUR sister! I got to come over to your place! Does she have a boyfriend?"   
  
"Screw off Drivan!" Junior said tensing up.  
  
Drivan laughed as a bell ran. "See ya. Got to run. Tell your sister that I said hi." And he bolted.  
  
No one was supposed to talk about his sister that way! She was a mother! You don't talk about women that have children like that, especially his sister.  
  
"Easy there Junior or you going to blow a fuse," Goten said. "You don't need to add another week to your suspension."  
  
"What?" He snapped at him.  
  
"You have to admit, your sister is a beautiful woman," Goten said.  
  
He rubbed his sore eyes. Goten thought his sister was pretty! "My sister is not a 'babe'."   
  
Goten smiled. "She's a babe with Vegeta's attitude."  
  
Junior fought the urge to hit him again, but he had that goofy grin on his face and it just was to hard not to smile back. Goten's stupid smiles were contagious that way. "Hell, it is better than Vegeta in a dress!"  
  
He giggled at that thought.  
  
"Vegeta with P.M.S," Goten chuckled and he couldn't help but laugh at that.  
  
"I wouldn't be much different than how he is now!" Junior chuckled. He knew that if Vegeta was hearing these things, they would be so blasted away.  
  
"I hear you two are getting along much better now."  
  
He looked up to see his sister standing there with one hand on her hip. He knew she would have had her other hand placed there too, if her arm wasn't hurting. They stopped their giggling and tried to compose themselves even though Goten wasn't helping by looking like he was going to break out into laughter again.  
  
"Come on now. I have some stuff for you two to do, since you won't be at school for a week. Gohan will make sure that you get all your homework, plus a few extra projects," she said.  
  
Goten groaned.  
  
Junior bit his lip. It didn't sound that bad. Yet. "What stuff?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
.............  
  
Trunks couldn't concentrate. He kept thinking about if Pan was going to show up for lunch. It had been a few days, would she still be so upset over his stupid comments. His own ego getting in the way of the people that he carried about, something that he had gotten from his father, that was for certain.  
  
He certainly hoped that she like the flowers. He didn't know how else to apologize. He thought about chocolate but her house was full of Saiyian's that would devour it before it got to her. He even thought of showing up to the door with the flowers, but he didn't want them thrown back at his face. He thought of stuffed animals, but he didn't want a package of stuffing sent back to him. He certainly hoped that she didn't shred the flowers and use them for mulch for her mother's garden.  
  
He looked at the pile of papers that were mounting, reports that needed to be read. So much work.  
  
One good thing came out of that argument he had with Pan. He was glad that he and Soyna and reconciled. They both understood each other a little bit better after. She didn't go into to much detail about her family pictures. He was able to understand how close she was to his OTHER self. She said it simply, "We understood where each other was coming from. I missed that connection that we had. It nearly destroyed me when he died."  
  
He had been shocked by her confession there. He understood how hard it must be for her to look at him and see a bit of her past, but it wasn't the same.  
  
He had confessed to her, how hard it was to look at her, seeing someone that could be his REAL daughter. How he looked for her face in everyone woman that he saw in the street. How when he looked at her, he was trying to find a piece of himself and wasn't able to find it.  
  
He could see it in Junior. Junior could definitely be his son. He could almost be Vegeta's twin, if Vegeta were taller. Soyna didn't look like a Brief. She acted and trained like dad, but you couldn't see it by looking at her.  
  
He had also apologized for snapping at her in front of Legen. He even told her it was because of what he said to Pan.  
  
She had chuckled at that, "Gohan thought that once too." She seemed to enjoy the shock on his face at that little revelation. "He came to me and demanded that I control my brothers hormones and keep him away from his little girl."  
  
"What did you say?"   
  
"Gohan didn't know that my little brother was currently dating a girl from school at that time. Pan and him were just good friends." She had smiled, almost brightly. "I doubt that there is anything else there."  
  
The word doubt had bothered him. What about now though? Pan denied it. He wasn't about to go ask Junior. Soyna didn't think that there was anything there but friendship.  
  
They had talked about Krad for a bit too. Her face grew very dark when she spoke of that, and her usually soft voice had a bite to it. He told her of what he knew of him, which really wasn't that much. They only stopped on that planet for a week before things started to turn nasty. Especially after they found out that they were part Saiyian and that there were others like them in the universe.  
  
"That was one thing we found out the hard way too," she had sighed. "Without our tails, we look very much like humans. I hid my well most of the time and it wasn't until my father's death that they spotted it. They may not like us Saiyian's, but they do like the strength that we possess."  
  
That is how he understood it too.  
  
He also saw how stubborn she was, when he offered his help for the battle that was sure to come.  
  
"It is MY fight," she said simply. He couldn't say much more on it.  
  
But she didn't give him that cold look anymore and last night, he felt welcome in his own home. Even though his father was grumpy and irritable, more than usual, it was like he belonged, again.  
  
He looked at his watch. An hour! He had to wait one more hour before he could go for lunch and apologize again.  
  
.............  
  
Pan looked at her watch. An hour before she had to make her decision if she was going to go to lunch with Trunks.  
  
She had read his pathetic note about a million times. Sometimes, she would get mad at him all over again and then the next moment she realized that her anger was not really justified.  
  
She got along so well with Junior. When she didn't have anyone else that would understand what it was like to be part Saiyian and young, there was Junior. At least he had understood some of her problems that she was having and he was a great listener. Junior needed an ear too. Soyna wasn't exactly that supportive of her little brother. She was there for him, but her mind was on her children and training, and he was pushed to the wayside. They both felt that way for a while.  
  
It wasn't her fault that went gallivanting around the universe looking for grandpa. They could have taken her but she was left behind. She was strong enough. She could even go supersaiyian now! Not that anyone cared or asked how her training was going anymore.  
  
Her stomach grumbled.  
  
She was so hungry. She didn't eat much for breakfast, not as much as she normally did. She began to think that maybe, subconsciously, she did want to go to lunch, but then her logic was getting in the way.  
  
Trunks was paying anyway. This time, she would eat her lunch before storming away from the table!!  
  
  
.......  
  
AN... There we go, yet another addition to my tale. A rather quick addition for a change. Still more questions left unanswered, but then, you wouldn't keep reading would you?  
  
Soyna  
  
Oh, yes, REVIEW... I like those things...  
  
  
  



	8. Challenge

It Never Ends  
  
  
C-10 --- Challenge  
  
  
Trunks looked at his watch.  
  
12:10  
  
She was never late. He was the one that always showed up late and he would get hell every time that he did so. She would always then order some expensive drink and wear a big smile for the rest of the meal.  
  
12:11  
  
He looked out the windows at the street. She had to be coming. She just had to be.  
  
12:12  
  
He ordered another drink. He didn't want to order any food until she arrived. He knew what she liked to eat, but he was trying to be considerate. He didn't want to do anything to upset her more that he already had.  
  
12:13  
  
Was that Pan? He sat up right in his chair as he saw a woman that looked like Pan walk past the window. Was he just seeing things? She was turning into the restaurant! It was Pan. The hostess pointed to his table. He had never been so relieved to see someone in his life.   
  
He stood and pulled out the chair for her.  
  
Her face was stern and she was trying to look mad but was not succeeding at it. That looked promising too.  
  
"Sorry, I'm late. I got cornered by one of my teachers," she said and unfolded the napkin on to her lap. She hadn't even looked at him yet though. That was not a good sign to have.  
  
"I wasn't worried," he lied as he sat back down.  
  
"Oh," she said, looking at him now, with a sneer. He restrained himself from slapping his forehead for sounding so conceited. He had only said a few words and he was already screwing up.  
  
"I mean, I just got here a short time ago," he then realized that was stupid too. There were three drink cups empty already on the table.  
  
"Uh-huh," Pan said. "Did you order the food?"  
  
"No. I was trying to be considerate and wait until you got here, in case you wanted something different," he said with a smile. That had to be the right thing to say.  
  
"I'm starving!" She said. "Waiter."  
  
He groaned inwardly. He couldn't do anything right.  
  
...............  
  
She tried to hide the smile that was threatening to emerge. Trunk's was so nervous. She wanted to burst out laughing and tell him that she wasn't mad at him anymore but if he suggested such things again, she was going to make him wish that he were still wandering about space with her uncle.  
  
This was more fun, watching him squirm in his chair. The President of one of the biggest company's in the world was acting like a kid who was in trouble. It was fun watching him stumble over his words, and once he found what he thought were the right one's, she would send him crashing back down.  
  
Once the food was ordered, he looked down at his plate and talked for a bit about how sorry he was for being a fool. "It is just so hard to adjust to having Soyna and Junior around. It's like a ready made family and I didn't even know I wanted one."  
  
Well, there was a revelation, but at the same time, it was so easy to twist that around too.  
  
"You've been preoccupied with trying to find a girl friend so you can start you own family?" she said and was pleased at her cold tone. She reached for her glass of water and took a sip.  
  
It took a second for Trunks to realize what she had just said. "What? No, nothing like that!" he took a big drink of his own and then coughed. "It's not like that!"  
  
She took another sip to hide her emerging smirk. She was going to see how long she could do this.   
  
"Then what is it? You seemed so worried about my love life that you suggested that I was dating someone in high school! Is yours so bleak that you have to worry about mine?" she said. She got that stunned looking again.  
  
He went a little pale. "No, I was just saying that having a family isn't that bad."  
  
"Is Soyna even talking to you?" she said, knowing that was a real sticking point with him.  
  
"As a mater of fact, she is," Trunks said with some confidence.  
  
It was Pan's turn to stumble over words. "And how did you manage that?"  
  
Trunks seemed to sink in his chair a bit. "Well," he looked down at his drink, "I kind of yelled at her."  
  
"You yelled at her!" Pan said.  
  
"Yeah. In front of Legen."  
  
Pan shook her head.  
  
"I was just so frustrated with her looking at me with those cold green eyes of hers and after having such a bad day Wednesday, I kind of lost it." Trunks said. "One good thing came out of it though. She showed me her family pictures and we talked for a bit. I think we can tolerate each other at this point and that is more than I thought it was going to be."  
  
"But in front of Legen!"  
  
"You hung up on me!" Trunks blurted a little loud.  
  
...............  
  
Trunks realized that his voice was probably a little to loud. He calmed himself down and just glared at Pan. She was purposely trying to provoke him!  
  
She was looking at her napkin on her lap.  
  
"I did like the flowers," she whispered. He just looked at her for a bit. The anger was gone now. She looked up at him. "I am not saying that I totally forgive you, but I am not longer ready to sic daddy on you!"  
  
He smiled. "That's good news. I would go nuts if I didn't have a sane person to talk to once in a while. Everyone at the office is nuts."  
  
He was happy to see a genuine smile on her face. He knew he still had to make it up to her, but at least, she wouldn't hang up the phone anymore.  
  
.................  
  
"You had to hit me," Goten grunted as he hauled a heavy landscaping tile over his shoulder.  
  
"You had to hit me back," Junior said. "I wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't destroy the classroom."  
  
Fry was watching his uncle and Junior working in the back yard. Grandma always wanted to have a fancy garden with levels and a pool and now she was going to get it. This weekend! He watched them as the dug things up and tore out some old things all under the supervision of Soyna. It was so much fun watching them suffer and not him, under her punishment.  
  
He still didn't have his video games because she talked to Gohan about the glue incident and because Benot and Legen lost their privileges too, but at least he didn't have to create a new garden in a weekend.  
  
"Come on sis! Can't we have a break? I'm thirsty." Junior whined.  
  
They were going to suffer more that he did. This pleased him a lot. She just pointed to the hose and sat in her chair reading a book. He could see both of them seething, but then they knew that they could do nothing about it.  
  
It was great to see someone else in trouble!  
  
............  
  
Gohan piled the homework that was part of the two fighter's homework for their week suspension.  
  
He looked at his son, who seemed enjoying watching the backyard being ripped apart and rebuilt. Soyna wasn't really that mad at them. He had talked to her briefly at the destroyed classroom where she was almost laughing at the mess that was created.  
  
"I told Junior that if he couldn't get over it to let some of his steam out, but I didn't mean in the first class of the day," she chuckled. The principal had been so tense as she said this but calmed him down by saying that she would make sure they would get money to repair all that was destroyed and asked that they get some extra assignments. She had some other plans for them this weekend. Gohan was quite shocked at what she suggested. He didn't think she was aware of the plans to redo the garden, but agreed.  
  
He looked over his son shoulder. They seemed to be doing a good job.  
  
"Isn't it great dad," Fry said looking up at his father.  
  
"What?" he said.  
  
"Someone else in trouble!" he said.  
  
He smiled at his son. He was always in trouble with one thing or another, usually involving Benot. They were really good boys when there are apart, but they were a powder keg when they got together.  
  
He looked over at Soyna who seemed to be enjoying the sun and reading a book that she probably borrowed from his arsenal of them. She looked up briefly, gave him a smile and then went back to reading.  
  
A few days ago, she was ready to kill anyone that got in her way of training and now she was calmly reading in his back yard. She certainly was a strange one. She just got to emotional at times. That was her human side. The only bit that she seemed to show.  
  
"I'm hungry," Fry announced. "What can I have for a snack?"  
  
...............  
  
Pan arrived home to see the huge mess in the back yard and the two dirty men that were working in it. She stifled a giggle as she looked at them.  
  
Goten spotted her first. "What are you chuckling about?" he snapped as he jabbed his shovel into the ground. It looked like he was digging a pond. He wasn't wearing his shirt and was covered with sweat and the sweat was thick with dust. His forhead had a dark smear from wiping his brow and his long hair looked almost matted with dirt and grass.  
  
Junior didn't look much better as he was lying down some stone walkway tiles.  
  
"What did you two do?" she said. She could see Soyna relaxing near by, so she knew that they did something wrong and this was how she was getting back at them.  
  
The both grumbled answers and laid blame on each other.  
  
"Pan, can you get us something to drink with ice in it. Soyna will only let us use the water from the hose," Goten begged after she got the gist of why they were redo the back yard.  
  
"I guess, I could get you something," she said and walked into the house.  
  
............  
  
"You look like you are in a better mood today," Gohan said as his daughter walked in. He and Fry were sharing a box of crackers that had become their snack.  
  
"I won't be huffing around the house anymore, if that is your concern," she smiled and pulled out some ice from the freezer.  
  
"Everything okay at school," Gohan asked. He hoped her better mood was not because of the boy that sent all those flowers that filled up the living room.  
  
"Fine," she said. "I never have any problems there."  
  
It had to be a boy then. "Did you talk to the guy that sent you all those flowers."  
  
"Yeah," she said and poured some juice in each of the two glasses. "We talked."  
  
He waited for more detail but as she walked out, he realized that he wasn't going to get any.  
  
Fry spoke with a mouthful of crackers, "She must have had a good time at lunch with Trunks today."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Geez dad, you mean, you didn't know that they went to lunch together every Wednesday and Friday? Why do you think she wore nice clothes on those days?" Fry said helping himself to some more crackers.  
  
"Trunks!" Gohan said. He should have known. There were so many hints! He would have to go talk to that boy.  
  
"Dad?" Fry looked at him with a mouthful of crackers. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine," he said and realized that he growled it. Maybe he wasn't fine.  
  
"You look mad," Fry said as he swallowed and dived in the box for more.  
  
"I just got to go talk to your sister for a little bit," he said and left his son to his snack. He knew that Fry would finish off the box easily and probably go for more food, but right now, ruining his son's dinner was the least of his worries.  
  
As he walked outside, he saw Pan with the hose soaking her uncle who was yelling at her to stop. Junior was laughing, only to get the next shot from the hose. Soyna seemed to have seen this coming and moved her chair back from the start of a water fight.  
  
He stopped and watched.  
  
"You wanted to cool down!" Pan laughed and sprayed the hose back at Goten who was trying to take a lunge at her. Of course, changing the course of the spray left her open to attack from Junior who did take advantage of it and grabbed part of the hose and tried to yank on it.  
  
She yanked back and the fight was on. Water flailed everywhere and soon all three were soaked. Goten finally got a good hold of the hose, but Pan escaped from Junior grip.  
  
Then Goten made the biggest mistake of his life. He tried to aim the hose at Pan, who was standing a little close to where Soyna was sitting, and Soyna really wasn't paying much attention to them. Goten aimed the hose and missed Pan, but not Soyna.  
  
.............  
  
Goten quickly dropped the hose but it was much to late. He had soaked her. She looked up at him with an angry glare. She didn't move right away, but he could tell that she was angry.  
  
"You better run," Junior whispered. He glanced over at Junior. "She doesn't much care for water."  
  
He looked back over at Soyna. He could see sparks coming out of her eyes and her body seemed to glow. She was powering up and he was the primary target! He quickly blasted off, but he didn't get very far. He felt a hand on his ankle and he felt himself being turned in a circle and then the next thing he knew he was in the hole that he was digging earlier. The now mud filled hole.  
  
"Ouch," he moaned as he sank in the mud a bit.  
  
Soyna hovered over him for a bit. He was waiting for the next attack and was getting ready to block it. He cursed Pan for turning the hose on him; he would get back at her later.  
  
He was grateful to hear his mother yell, "What the hell is going on here?" Soyna looked in the direction of the voice and seemed to be powering down, as descending as well. She wasn't going to attack him again. He was relieved. He peered over the edge of the muddy hole to see his mother scowling at them all.  
  
"Well, is someone going to answer me!"  
  
"I was just trying to help the guys cool down," Pan started.  
  
"We are building you that new garden you always wanted," Junior smiled. He looked nervous, but then, mom seemed to do that to everyone.  
  
"We just got a little carried away," Pan said.  
  
She shook her head and then looked at the patio door, where Gohan stood. "And why didn't you do anything to stop it?"  
  
Gohan looked shocked. He was stunned for words.  
  
"ARG! Children!" Chi-Chi said and stormed into the house past her eldest son.  
  
Pan was the one that started to giggle and Junior was the follow. Goten didn't find being covered with mud very funny. He knew they were laughing at him.  
  
He was quite surprised to see Soyna offering her hand to him, to help him out of the hole. He hesitantly took her hand and pulled himself out of the mud.  
  
"I lost my temper," she said.  
  
"Really," he said with a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Next time, you attack me, give me some warning!"  
  
Her eyes narrowed.  
  
Goten was expecting another attack. He had never spared with her, he had only seen her and Vegeta going at it but he doubted that he had the skill to defeat her. He thought that he could maybe have the advantage on strength, but she was definitely fast. "Every time you attack me, you get me by surprise." He remembered clearly the first day he saw her sparing with Vegeta and how she just appeared in front of Benot. He also remembered how her eyes glowed as she was powering up for another attack and how he couldn't move her foot from his throat.  
  
"Is that a challenge?" she said in that soft voice of hers, but it was still threatening.  
  
He looked at her, a little shocked for a second. "Yeah. It is. If I win, we don't have to finish this garden."  
  
"What are you doing Goten?" Pan said. "You can't beat her."  
  
Junior just shook his head. "Let him get pummeled. He knows what he is getting into."  
  
Pan smacked Junior rather hard.  
  
"Alright. You are warned," she said and flared into super saiyian!  
  
He forgot she could do that. How he could forget, he didn't know. He quickly powered up as well and then they began their little challenge.  
  
................  
  
Gohan felt the two huge power surges. He recognized them both. He looked out the window and saw two gold balls of energy going at each other in the sky.  
  
What the hell was Goten thinking? Soyna was an excellent fighter. She didn't make mistakes. She was fast and strong. He hated to admit it, but faster than even he was. He knew that she was much faster than Vegeta was too, but then skill played a huge factor in their fights. They didn't rely on either strength or speed to land an attack, it was cunning.  
  
Goten could think of the odd good fighting strategy, but usually he could pick up on it quick enough to get out of it. He knew his brother all too well.  
  
His attention turned to his daughter who was standing awful close to Junior again. He was still not comfortable with those two. Soyna had laughed at him, when he suggested that they were an item, but he didn't like the fact that they always stood so close together and even when they watched movies, they seemed to sit to close together.  
  
Then there was the Trunks factor now. Why was he taking his little girl to lunch twice a week?  
  
His eyes narrowed at the thought.  
  
Trunks. He didn't know if he like that idea at all. Trunks as Goten's friend were fine, but as Pan's....  
  
He shook his head. 'No, it can't be like that,' he thought as he looked back up at the two fighting figures. Goten wasn't doing to bad. Considering he had an advantage with Soyna having an injured arm.  
  
At least he should have.  
  
That was until he saw his younger brother land in the muddy hole that was to become the pond.  
  
Soyna floated to stand by the pond and offered him his hand again. Goten took it, but instead of hauling himself up, he took her down into the mud.  
  
He gasped. He couldn't help it. He could hear Pan calling her uncle and idiot.  
  
"I'm not that easy to take down!" Goten said as he leapt out of the mud and followed by an equally muddy and angry Soyna.  
  
"Why are you watching them destroy all the work they have done on my garden!" he cringed as he heard his mother behind him. "Stop them Gohan!"  
  
He really didn't want to get in the middle of those two fighting. They looked pretty determined to get each other.  
  
................  
  
  
Well, there is another quick chapter  
Who will win the fight? Goten? Soyna? Could be a good one.  
Will Gohan confront Trunks?  
Will the garden get finished?  
Will the boys ever get to play video games again?  
And where are these supposed evil characters that Soyna is so determined to train for?  
  
Ah, the questions, the questions.  
  
Soyna.  
  
  



	9. The Weekend

  
--   
  
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C -11 The weekend.  
  
  
The weekend was rather busy. He came home late Friday to be accosted by his father in a sparing match. Half way through the match two muddy and figures entered the house.  
  
Soyna looked furious and when dad asked 'what the hell happened to you?' all she did was grunt and go take a shower. Junior, even though he was equally covered in mud, cleared up the question.  
  
Dad was not happy to hear that she had been sparing with Goten and seemed even more displeased when he learned that the fight between Soyna and Goten was a draw. "Gohan had to stop them, or else I don't think either of them would have given up."  
  
"Why were you landscaping the Son's yard?" He had asked and was given a sheepish answer about how Goten and him got into a fight at school and Soyna was punishing them for having to go into the school.  
  
Dad just gave a grunt and muttered something about immature children and left the room.  
  
Trunks just smirked at his OTHER self's son complaining that his now perfect attendance record was ruined because that idiot Goten wouldn't leave him alone. He didn't seem to mad at him anymore though.   
  
He over heard Soyna and his father talking before he decided to retire for the evening.  
  
"How could that idiot keep up with me?" she had cursed. "Even with my injured arm, I should have won."  
  
And then there was dad, with his usual sensitive wit, "Idiots have a way of winning. They seem to have luck on their side." Trunks had smiled. He remembered how he would curse not being able to win against Goku, calling him a bungling fool low class Saiyian. But he still lost, no matter how much of an idiot he thought Goku was. He still could not keep up to Goku.  
  
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she snapped at him.  
  
Dad just grunted. It never made him feel better over the years.  
  
Then Saturday, the house was abnormally quiet all day. Which was fine by him. He was actually able to finish the three days worth of work that he had allowed to pile up when he was fretting about all the things that he had screwed up with Pan and Soyna.  
  
It wasn't until the sunset that he heard the boy come running through the house, with large teddy bears in tow. Soyna followed slowly behind them wearing her casual clothes and her hair under a hat. Her bad arm looked like it bandaged tighter than the other day. Goten must have hurt her arm in their spat.  
  
She must have taken the boys to the fair.  
  
Legen had his face painted to look like a lion and his hair seemed to resemble a mane as he bounded around the house after his brother who seemed to have claimed his portion of the cotton candy. Benot had his face painted to look like a wolf and was not about to let his brother get the cotton candy that he claimed as his. Then there was Fry, with his face painted as if he were a mouse. He looked tired and stayed closed to Soyna as his friends bounded around the room.  
  
Mom had gone with them for her arms were full of trinkets that they bought or won and her face was painted with a star on either side of her cheek.   
  
They must have had a good time.  
  
He returned to his paperwork, determined to finish it, so he wouldn't have to look at it Sunday and didn't hear anything from them for a couple of more hours until he went down the kitchen to get something to eat.  
  
That was when he found Soyna looking at a flyer and looking rather glum.  
  
He wasn't sure if he should ask her what was wrong, but he did. Feeling that he should try to keep their communication open between them, but at the same time he didn't want to get her upset.  
  
"There is a tournament coming," she said not looking up. "There are flyers everywhere now."  
  
He looked at the flyer.  
  
He didn't understand her concern. So, someone was starting another tournament. Big deal. There was a new one every month it seemed. He knew dad entered the odd one, or at least used to especially when Goku was around. The money wasn't that big of a deal for them, but it allowed Vegeta to have a say in the money at least. Something that he had very little control over as it was. He remembered the last tournament that they had both entered. The final match, as they knew it would turn out to be, was Goku and Vegeta. Vegeta lost. He didn't take it all that well but mom had somehow managed to calm him down and prevent him from destroying the stadium. That was before Goku left.  
  
"It's a lot of money, don't you think, for the first," she said.  
  
He looked at the prize money. "They do that, so they can draw out the big names, get some good fighters in. If they have a good show, they can make it another year. The show is only as good as the fighters."  
  
She made a sound of contemplation. "Are you thinking of entering?" he asked.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
He went about getting his food and even offered Soyna some, knowing that he was sucking up big time. He wanted to have a friendship with her. He wanted her to talk more freely about the future that she came from.  
  
She shook her head, "I ate enough junk today," she said simply and examined the flyer further.  
  
It seemed to bother her.  
  
He decided to leave her alone with her thoughts. He didn't want to push her tolerance level of him at all.  
  
Sunday he slept in.  
  
He woke up to see his father scowling as he was watching Soyna sparing with Goten. They were going at it pretty fast and furiously. There was a lot of energy in those two and they seemed anxious to kill each other.  
  
"How long have they been going at it?" he asked his father and was not really expecting an answer.  
  
"Too long," He humped. "Fool boy, doesn't even realize that he doesn't have a chance."  
  
He looked up at the two super-Saiyians. Goten was not holding back. Soyna was being careful of her arm, but she was still doing well. They were both at level 2.  
  
"Goten had to finish the match," Junior said from behind him. He did not look two happy as he looked at the two fighters. "Fool won't wait until her arm in properly healed."  
  
Vegeta gave a low growl. Trunks looked up to see Soyna plummeting down. She got herself before she collided with the ground, but Goten was on her, trying to land another blow to make her hit the earth. She dodged it and twirled behind him in a rather graceful move and hit him in the small of the back, causing him to land face first in the ground. Dad had used that move on him a couple of times. He must have learned it from her, because she made it look so easy and smooth.  
  
She then proceeded to stomp on his back, placing one foot on his head. "Do you give?"  
  
He could only hear a grunt from the ground.  
  
Soyna seemed satisfied with the grunt and walked away from him. He forgot how different she looked when she was transformed. How much sleeker she seemed to become and graceful, unlike them, who grew more muscles and bulk to increase their power. She powered down with a breath and looked back at Goten who was struggling to his feet on weak knees.  
  
"How the hell did you do that?" he said.  
  
"I am better than you," she simply said. "Now, you have to finish the garden TODAY!" She said with a big smile as she passed her brother who was scowling at Goten. She gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked into the house. Vegeta followed.  
  
Goten sighed.  
  
"You had to make that stupid bet, didn't you," Junior said.  
  
Goten rubbed the back of his head and made a slight chuckle. "I didn't think she was that strong. I thought I could beat her."  
  
Junior just shook his head. "You are quite the fool!"  
  
Goten just grinned. "I guess we better get working."  
  
Trunks smiled as he watched them continue to argue as they flew off the Son household. A place he would go soon, as well. They obviously were at least getting along now.  
  
He wanted to make sure that everything was still okay with Pan. After she stopped twisting all his words around, they had a decent lunch. The lunch turned out a bit longer that it normally did and he was nearly late for a meeting because of it. They did something that they normally didn't do. They had ordered a desert.  
  
He made his way over to the Son household and watched Junior and Goten work in the garden at a fevered pace. They weren't doing that bad of a job and when he joked about them getting jobs as landscape artist, they didn't appreciate the humor.  
  
Pan brought them out some food and he smiled at her.  
  
He also saw that Gohan followed closely after her and he didn't look too happy. There was a lot of tension in him and that was quite unusual for the normally relaxed Gohan. He must have had a bad week at school, with having to deal with his brother and Junior fighting, probably didn't help his mood.  
  
He approached them as they sat and watched to two workers.  
  
It was mostly just casual talk, about nothing in particular. He talked a bit about how he got caught up on his work and this new deal he was going to try to pull through. Pan talked about school and how she got her grade in her last lab and was going to protest it. Gohan was remarkable quiet the whole time.  
  
He looked like he had something on his mind. Trunks thought about asking, but decided against it.  
  
"DONE!" Goten announced with a triumphant yell! "Mom has got her dream garden and I am going to eat and take a nap!"  
  
Junior grinned and shook his head. He looked tired also.  
  
"Might as well. Tomorrow we got to work on all those extra assignments that my sis so nicely supplied us with." Junior said and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. They must have been bothering him, because he was doing that a lot.  
  
Goten shoulders slumped. "Oh yeah." He could still act like a five-year-old at times.  
  
Of course, that was when the boys showed up, each with an ice cream cone supplied by Videl. They were getting spoiled this weekend. A fair and then they get taken out for ice cream. He never got those types of privileges unless he was able to beat his father at something, and that was damn hard.  
  
Trunks shook his head as Benot pointed to Goten. "Lost to my mom again! You wimp!"  
  
Benot really had to work on his tack. Goten narrowed his eyes at the boy and tensed. He knew that Benot calling him a wimp bothered him. It was almost humorous seeing how much it bothered him. Benot was always one to get into trouble though. Trunks could see that Benot still didn't care for either of them for scaring him that day in the kitchen.  
  
Goten narrowed his eyes. "I'll get you later! I am to tired to deal with you."  
  
Benot proceeded to make a bunch of chicken noises.  
  
Goten's face turned red.  
  
Trunks sat back and was preparing to watch Goten loose it on the kid. Just like he did at the pool when he nearly drown him for beaning him with the beach ball. They thought it was humorous then, but this situation. What would he do?  
  
Pan laughed and walked over to her uncle. "Come on. I'll make you some real food," quickly diffusing the situation before Goten could get madder at Benot.  
  
Then the whole evening changed. After Goten had a shower, they decided to go raid a restaurant instead of cooking. Gohan had his hands full trying to keep up with three wild boys who thought that the pond was a great place to take a skinny-dip.  
  
The three of them had a rather enjoyable dinner talking about the old times. Their last travel in space and filling Pan in on a few of the places that he hadn't mentioned to her.  
  
He didn't really want her to know about that water planet, with those nymph like inhabitants.  
  
She just giggled as Goten told her about how he fell head over heals for this one with long dark hair. He sank in his chair and blushed. She was a great looking woman. She was smaller than the other nymphs were, but he sure took a shine to her. She had the biggest dark eyes; he couldn't stop thinking about her, while he was on that planet. She wasn't that much of a conversationalist, none of them were, but that was not what was on his mind. He could drown in her eyes, as she would hum the tune that she would always gently hum and run her fingers through his hair as he caressed her throat...  
  
"I had to drag him off that planet. If I wasn't there, he would have been trapped by her," Goten said.  
  
Pan laughed. "I didn't know you could be such a romantic!"  
  
He sank further in his chair.  
  
"He was no better!" Trunks said hoping to turn back the conversation. "You and that one with the white hair. She took a shine to you and you weren't exactly fighting her off!"  
  
It was Goten's turn to blush. "At least she talked. Yours only hummed and you couldn't be separated from her for long!"  
  
They both glared at each other. These were things that they really didn't want other people to know. That was one planet that was the most enjoyable to visit, but it wasn't something that you dare right home about.  
  
Pan laughed. "Some real Casanova's," she said as she nibbled on what was left of their third appetizer. "Why did you leave if you two were so infatuated with those nymphs? They turn out to be not that good of gals after all?"  
  
She seemed to enjoy watching our faces burn. Trunks was glad that Goten was able to answer. "I thought I felt dad," he whispered. "I thought I could catch him."  
  
Pan stopped laughing, her face turned serious. "Do you really think that he is still out there?"  
  
Goten just nodded.  
  
"I sometimes have dreams that Grandpa will be coming back to us," Pan confessed in the silence that hung over the table. "I am so happy in those dreams when he comes back. We all are. But he just isn't the same as when I was little."  
  
Trunks sighed. The loss of Goku still reached them all and still pulled at all their heart strings.  
  
"I don't know why he always has to leave," Goten said as he grabbed some of the fries. "I don't understand why dad thinks that it is better if he is not around."  
  
Trunks understood. "He just feels that he is bringing all these threats down on his family."  
  
"Yeah, but they come anyway," Goten said.  
  
Trunks was glad when the conversation turned back into more cheerful topics. Goten was drowsing in his chair until the food arrived and then he was full of vigor again. The guy had a busy weekend. Trunks was amazed that he was still awake.  
  
He talked with Pan most of the time.  
  
They split the ribs that he ordered and the chicken that she ordered. They talked and laughed and had some wine. It was more enjoyable that his lunches with her ever were.  
  
It ended way to quickly for him. Pan recommended that they take her uncle home, before they have to drag him. He was nearly snoring at the table once the plates were cleared away.  
  
He was hoping to order a desert, like they did at lunch on Friday.  
  
He dropped them off at home and was very aware that Gohan was looking out the window at him and he didn't look too happy. He drove home that night wondering what Gohan was mad at.  
  
  
  
AN/ The stuff I have written, is important for later parts in the story, if I manage to get it working... and ** note ** no one else seems to care the way the romances are going, so fluffy may get her way.....(I think I can hear her jumping for joy) INPUT and MORE INPUT will make me giddy with joy! REVIEW ME!  
  
The next chapter may be awhile, but it will come!  
  
  
Soyna  
  
  



	10. Nightmare

  
  
Here we go again. I got my e-mail posted now (Syna@3web.net), so if you so wish to make a comment that way, go ahead.  
  
But, now, on with the reason you are her, the story...  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C-12 Nightmare  
  
  
Chi-chi was restless in her sleep. She knew why and didn't want to remember. It was only a couple of day's time before her anniversary was coming up. An anniversary that she would have to live through without her husband.  
  
She sighed and got out of bed. No use fighting it. Might as well get up and do something. Not that there was much for her to do anymore. Videl took care of most of everything. She felt like such a burden living with Gohan at times.  
  
When Goten left the way he did, she didn't want to live alone in that empty house and Gohan's invitation was well received. She still felt like she should do more than just taking care of the garden, but no one seemed to begrudge her that.  
  
She looked out her window at the new garden that was created by her son and Junior. She still didn't know how Soyna knew that it what she wanted more than anything was to have a place that was so peaceful, that she could forget that they were in Satan city, if only for a little while.  
  
She grabbed her robe and shuffled down the hall. She looked into the room of her grandson. Little Fry. He was sleeping soundly with his arms wrapped around his newly won teddy bear from the fair, that was as twice as big as him.  
  
Soyna may be a fighter and they may but heads on that, but she was always good to the boys. The boys were the only one that never seemed to be afraid of her. They knew that she would never do anything to hurt them. She may chase them around and threaten them at times, but she had never really hurt them. It was Soyna's type of play. She figured that she just spent too much time with Vegeta and the testiness wore off on her.  
  
She smiled and decided to go down to the kitchen to make herself some tea, hopefully it would relax her enough so that she could fall back asleep, and not think of her missing husband.  
  
That is when she heard a loud groan emerge from her youngest son's room. She wasn't about to intrude on him. He was a big boy and knew how to take care of himself. Even though he had worked pretty hard all weekend on the garden, and then his foolish sparing with Soyna.  
  
She heard a large thump and could resist taking a peak into the room. She found her son wrapped in his sheets sitting on the floor, covered with sweat and panting. He had one hand over his eyes and the other rubbing his throat, his chest was heaving heavily.  
  
"Goten?" she whispered.  
  
He startled and looked up at her. "Mom?"  
  
"Are you alright?" she whispered and slowly entered the room.  
  
He rubbed his throat again. "Just a nightmare," he whispered and pulled himself onto the bed. She went to sit by him. He was shaking. It had to be one hell of a nightmare. She touched his arm and was shocked as he flinched. Goten was never one to have nightmare. She knew Gohan used to have them, but Goten, never seemed to be bothered by his dreams.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked again.  
  
He shook his head and seemed to be trying to get his shaking under control and it was taking a lot of his strength to do it.  
  
"What was it about?" she asked.  
  
He looked at her startled for a moment and then he looked like he was searching for words. She saw this look before. Her boys had to protect her from their Saiyian side, didn't they? Even Goku didn't tell her about the nightmares he would have. He would toss and turn all night and mutter about one enemy or another.  
  
"Why don't I go make us both a cup of tea to help you relax," she said. She saw the relief on his face that she wouldn't have to say anything.  
  
"Thanks mom. That would be great," he said with a forced smile.  
  
She patted her son's arm and left to the kitchen.  
  
She saw him rubbing his throat again, where that horrible black scar persisted. He must have been dreaming about that.  
  
............  
  
His throat was burning! It felt as if he had just pulled that whip off his throat. He surely would have screamed if mom hadn't entered the room. A familiar face to calm him a bit.  
  
He didn't want to tell her about the nightmare. He didn't want her to know that he was in pain for a long time. She would get worried all over again, and he knew that was the last thing that she needed.  
  
He struggled out of his sheets and grabbed a pair of pants to slip on and the bandana to wrap around his throat. The burning stopped quickly after that. He was thankful for that. He could hear the kettle whistle downstairs.  
  
His shaking had stopped but the images from the nightmare persisted. They hung in his head and wouldn't leave.  
  
Krad laughing as Trunks held him up and had a hand on his bleeding throat. Trunks managed to avoid the whip and escape to the space capsule. How Krad seemed so unconcerned with the escape. He remembered what he had yelled as the door closed. "You won't live through the night young Saiyian!"  
  
They figured out he was part Saiyian. He didn't know if they thought that Trunks was Saiyian or not. He didn't fit the image of a stereotypical one, but then, none of them did anymore.  
  
He was also haunted by the image of Soyna from his dream. He knew very little truly about her battle with Krad and what had happened. But in his dream he saw her with the whip wrapped around her arm, a younger version of Junior being protected and huddled close to her.  
  
He could see her blood dripping down her arm. He could see Krad laughing as she snapped the whip out of his hand and blasted it.  
  
"You won't live through the night my dear lady," he laughed as she started to slump. Dragging her little brother away.  
  
Horrible images of how he had suffered and struggled against Trunks who tried to clean and tend his wound. How he forced him to eat and drink and the constant worry on his face.  
  
Did Soyna and Junior go through all that too?  
  
He sighed and rubbed the scar through the scarf. He rubbed his eyes and went down to join his mother for a cup of tea.  
  
...............  
  
She looked at her son as he walked into the kitchen, a hand protectively covering his throat. He looked so worried.  
  
"Here you go," she said and sat a cup down on the table. He sat down and took a sip without so much a word.  
  
"Was the nightmare that bad?" she said and sat across from him. He looked so serious. It was not a common look for him. Usually always with a smile and laugh. He was like his father that way.  
  
"Yeah," he whispered. He rubbed his throat again. He wasn't even aware that he was doing that.  
  
She stared at him waiting to hear more, but he seemed more engrossed in how the steam was rising off the tea. She didn't think that he was going to say something but he finally did, "If I would have stayed home instead of leaving, we would have nothing to worry about."  
  
He looked up.  
  
He looked so distressed.  
  
"What?" she said.  
  
"If I had stayed home, we would have never had to worry about Krad coming. He had all these big invasions plans for elsewhere. If I hadn't been so brass and I just went about my business," he said and took a sip of the tea.  
  
"You don't know that," she said.  
  
He sighed. "What are you doing up mom?" he seemed to be anxious to change the subject.  
  
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about your father," she confessed.  
  
Goten looked at her concerned. "Why were you thinking about dad?" There was a touch of guilt in his voice.  
  
"It would be our anniversary next week," Chi-Chi said. "I miss the big dummy."  
  
Goten smiled lightly and then a dark look came on his face. There was so much more going on in that head of his, that Chi-Chi would have ever have thought before. He looked so serious. A look she was not to familiar with on her children. "Why did you wait for him?"  
  
She looked at him. What did he mean?  
  
"He always left you alone and yet you still waited for him to come back to you," he said. "Why?"  
  
Chi-Chi looked at her son and was stunned. Why, indeed? She never really thought of it before. They only spent a few years really together as a married couple. Most of the other time, he was out saving the universe or something of that sort. He ALWAYS left without really saying any sort of goodbye. He always seemed to just expect her there, when he came back. And she was.  
  
"Well, it is not as simple as saying that I loved him, which I still do. I knew what he was like when I married him, and I loved him for being that way," she sighed. "I hurts when he is gone. I always miss him. I never really found the need for anyone else."  
  
Goten seemed okay with that answer. She wondered what he was looking for in that?  
  
"Will I ever to be able to find someone like that?" he said. "I mean, I thought I had found someone like that, but she..." he sighed deeply. "I don't want to be alone and I don't want to hurt anyone else like Dad hurt you."  
  
She sighed. This was coming out of her son. She smiled. He grew up a bit since his first stint in high school, where there were girls calling every second day asking for him, or he was on a date with one of his tarts, because that is all that they really were. He was never serious about any of them. She knew that he hadn't been dating since he got back, which she thought was odd, but thought he would get back into the swing of things, like he always did, in no time. But he hadn't.  
  
"Your father never meant to hurt me," she said.  
  
"I hardly even got to know him. When he was here, it was always when there was trouble and we were going into a fight of one form or another," he sighed. "Maybe, that is why I went searching for him."  
  
She reached across the table and took his son hand in hers. He looked up at him, with the same eyes that his father had. "Your father gave me all that I ever needed in you two boys."  
  
He didn't seem to like that answer all that much.  
  
"Thanks for the tea mom. I think I'll go back to bed now," he said and walked out. He had barely touched his cup of tea.  
  
Chi-Chi wished she understood her sons a lot better.  
  
...............  
  
  
"What's wrong with Soyna?" Trunks asked. He had watched his father carry her into her bedroom. She looked drugged up.  
  
Bulma looked up from her book. "Oh, nothing really. We just got her a sensu bean so that she would rest her arm."  
  
Trunks looked at her confused. They healed, they didn't knock you out.  
  
Bulma must have seen the look of confusion on his face. "Oh, it is nothing to worry about. It is just the reaction of the bean on that poison that is in her arm. It may heal you, but it seems to activate the poison a bit as well. I was hoping that she would actually rest her arm for a bit instead of us having to use a sensu, but she insist on sparing and hardly resting at all." She gave a big sigh. "I wish she would stop acting like Vegeta when it comes to training."  
  
He grinned. He noticed that too. "She will be okay though?"  
  
"Oh yes, she will just sleep a day or two and then be back to trying to destroy herself by training," Bulma scoffed.  
  
Trunks looked in the direction that his father had carried her. "She is persistent isn't she."  
  
Bulma sighed. "Very," she closed her book. "I worry about her sometimes. We don't know if this Krad is coming but she is training to kill him all by herself. She doesn't like the idea of anyone helping her. Even when Vegeta suggests it she gets all tense. I am so afraid that she is going to do something rash."  
  
"What do you mean, mom?" Trunks said.  
  
"She is so much like your father. What do you think that I mean?" she said and opened her book again.  
  
Trunks sighed and decided to drop it. He had work tomorrow, and he was finally going to be able to concentrate.  
  
.........  
  
Pan arrived home from school on Monday to see her uncle looking very frazzled at his pile of homework. She would have laughed at him if it weren't so distressing to see him, running his hands through his long hair and how red his eyes looked and even the untouched food that was beside him.  
  
"I hate Mr. Ketn," he said as he looked up. "He has to be the meanest teacher, ever."  
  
She smiled at him. "He isn't that bad."  
  
"You are good at this school thing," he said and closed his book. "the only reason that I am getting anywhere in school is because of Junior. If he wasn't helping me, I would be so failing and mom would be so disappointed in me."  
  
"What assignment are you doing?" Pan asked as she sat by her uncle.  
  
"The best/worse moment."  
  
She remembered that. She cringed. "That is an extra one, isn't it. You only have to do it, if you want extra credit. Oh. Right. Now it isn't for you is it?"  
  
"What the hell am I supposed to right, when I really can't even think about those things anymore," he said with a sigh. He spotted his glass of juice and took a sip out of it. "Plus, he would think it is fiction anyway."  
  
"I know he thought mine was fiction," Pan grinned. "But then, how many kids get to explore space on a space ship built from a defunct race's technology."  
  
He grinned at that.  
  
"You wrote that?"  
  
"Uh-huh. I wrote that my best moment was meeting my grandfather for the first time. I just kind have said that he was missing for awhile. At least, I didn't say that he was dead. He would have sent me to the shrinks for sure. Then I wrote that loosing him again was the worse. In a little bit more detail than that. He thought it was a great work of fiction and gave me a B for effort. He thought it was an original look at his assignment."  
  
"Do you think he would go for it again?" Goten asked. "I mean, my best and worse is pretty far fetched too."  
  
"Probably not," she said. "Make ups some lame ass thing about a wedding or me being born or something."  
  
He laughed. That was her uncle.  
  
"I think I could do that," he said. "Thanks Panny."  
  
She slapped him. "Don't call me Panny."  
  
He just smiled brighter.  
  
............  
  
Goten was glad when his brother got home and had to beg him to go spar with him, for at least an hour or so. "I have had my nose in those books all day. Please. I need to spar, or else I am going to blow something up!"  
  
It was a relieve to stretch his muscles for that hour, even though they never fully powered up.  
  
He wanted more than anything to drive out the images from his nightmare that still intruded on his day, making it so hard to concentrate on anything.  
  
Maybe Krad was coming after all. Maybe that was what the dream was trying to tell him. He didn't know, but the images of that day, were stuck in his head and his throat stung every time he saw an image of that whip.  
  
He remembered how sick he was. He remembered how smug Krad was. How sure that he was going to be dead. Wouldn't he be surprised when.. no ..IF he showed up that he was still alive. That thought pleased him. It would prove that they were even more resilient than he thought they were.  
  
But then, was that a good thing, or a bad thing?  
  
.........  
  
AN/ There you go. Yet another chapter.  
  
  



	11. Thinking of the Past

  
This one explains Vegeta's protectiveness of Soyna a little bit more. I think it does need to be explained a bit more before the story goes further... Gohan broods a little more also as he worries about his daughter....  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
C-13 --   
  
  
Still sleeping.  
  
He sighed as he looked at his granddaughter.  
  
She had been sleeping for a long time. The stupid sensu bean. It always did this to her. Always.  
  
He put his hand on her brow and found her warm. It did that too. She didn't need the bean. Her arm would have healed fine in a couple of weeks. She was after all part Saiyian. She would have recovered even with the training and sparing she was doing. She was being more conscious of it than he ever was with his wounds.  
  
Bulma had given her the bean and he wasn't too happy that she didn't consult him on it.  
  
Yes, it made her get the sleep that she so desperately needed, but it also made her so ill. Bulma just didn't understand her pain.  
  
She moved her head away from his hand and growled in her sleep. Her jaw was set firmly. She was having the nightmare again. A nightmare that she would not tell him about.  
  
"Vegeta?"  
  
He turned to see Legen standing in the door. "I mom okay?" He had his usual worried look on his face.  
  
"She's fine," he said and turned back to her. She would be better if she didn't have the fever.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
The brat was standing by the bed and touched his mother's hand. "She looks pale."  
  
"She is fine brat," Vegeta said.  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
He looked at Legen's big green eyes looking up at him. Why was he here?  
  
............  
  
  
Trunk's was home early. He wanted to spar but he could tell by the look on his face that he was in for a lot of paperwork again. That is all that he seemed to do. It seemed such a waste. His son could be the strongest in the universe, and here he wasted his time behind a desk.  
  
He didn't want to deal with that stupid woman saying something about Capsule Corporation being one of the most important companies in the world. She would then ramble on about how strength was not one of the greatest assets on this planet but your position and money.  
  
Whatever.  
  
He restrained himself from going to check on Soyna again. She was sleeping too long. He didn't like it. Raymond said it was nothing to worry about. But then, he didn't particularly trust Raymond who had some how seduced his little girl behind his back.  
  
He had been so preoccupied in finding out who this girl was who had a Saiyian tail when no one else, not even him, had one anymore. He didn't even notice Raymond and Bra getting closer. Something he wished he could have discouraged.  
  
He had been very aware of how much the young Junior looked like him. Very aware, but he found himself studying her, the little woman who was obviously from his bloodline. He knew that she didn't look like anyone here. She didn't resemble him and she didn't resemble Bulma, but he knew.  
  
He had seen the pictures of her mother. He was aware of how much she looked like her. But then, she only had superficial similarities to her mother. He saw something more there.  
  
It took him awhile to admit it.  
  
He hadn't even told Bulma. He really had no intention of mentioning it to anyone.  
  
She guessed it when they found out her name though. She didn't say anything, which he was grateful. He was having a hard enough time dealing with the images of his mother who died when he was 3 years old. Images that he had forced out of his mind a long time ago came flooding back at this woman who had nearly died, who had been large with her children. How his own mother had died.  
  
He had told Bulma the name of his mother only once. She must have remembered it and suggested it when she was born. But she had no idea how much the child tore at his heart strings as much as he tried to push those thoughts back. He wanted to keep those weaknesses out of his mind, but they came and remained.  
  
He sat on the balcony and looked down at the three menaces that looked as if they were plotting something, but then, they always seemed to be.  
  
Today, it seemed to be Benot's turn to be picked on. Benot was wearing a hat that he kept pulled down low on his forehead.  
  
"Wait until I tell mom," Legen laughed.  
  
Fry was busy giggling.  
  
"Both of you SHUT UP!" Benot yelled and tugged on the hat.  
  
Foolish children doing foolish things, he thought. Normally he didn't pay much attention to what they were doing. He always saw the consequences later, but this surely looked interesting. Benot was the one that was usually the one laughing.  
  
"I would have LOVED to have seen Rose pop you one!" Fry giggled. "I mean she is such a little thing."  
  
"SHUT UP!" Benot yelled again and tugged harder on the hat. "It's not funny!"  
  
"You call Goten a wimp all the time for getting beat up by your mom and you go and get walloped by a little girl," Fry laughed. Legen burst into laughter too. Vegeta smirked.  
  
That was when Legen tore the cap off his brother.  
  
"Hey! Give that back." Benot protested.  
  
Vegeta saw the big black circle that surrounded Benot's eye. He just about burst out laughing himself.  
  
"Wait until mom sees this!" Legen said. "Your going to loose another week of video games!" He laughed and taunted his brother with the hat. "I don't think you can hide that shiner with this!"  
  
Benot tackled his brother.  
  
Legen just laughed as his brother scooped the hat back onto his head. He looked really mad.  
  
"Uh-oh." Fry said, suddenly not laughing any more.  
  
They all looked up at him.  
  
He didn't move but continued to look down at them. Benot and Legen weren't afraid of him. He knew that. They were used to him. They had a respect for him. Fry on the other hand, was afraid of him. He didn't mind. It kept them away from him most of the time.  
  
"Busted!" Legen laughed.  
  
Benot cuffed him and then stamped into the house.  
  
Legen was still laughing.  
  
He knew that he wouldn't really do anything to them. He left that stuff up to Soyna and Bulma. The threat of him was often enough to get them to behave, even though he hadn't even raised his hand to them.  
  
But what did concern him, was that a human girl had hit Benot hard enough to give him such a black eye. He really thought it was time to start the boy's training.  
  
He didn't want them to be just like the humans. He didn't want any of his remaining blood line turn into wimps. It was bad enough that Junior, his namesake, was half-blind and had no interest in fighting. He could be strong, he had seen it in the boy, but he was unwilling and unable to train to achieve the level that his sister had.  
  
But then he sometimes wished that Soyna would not push herself so hard.  
  
She had to try to get to that next level! She said that she was undercontrol but he knew better. He got to her before she started to burn herself up like she did that one time before in which her fingers were black for a month from that stupid attempt at powering up at a level she just could not reach.  
  
The only way to get her attention was to really hurt her and that meant breaking something.  
  
He knew that she was still mad at him, not for breaking her arm, but from stopping her.  
  
He frowned. He didn't like to be reminded of the days when he was like that. When he was so focused that he couldn't see what he was doing to himself and those around him. She sometimes saw her focus through her boys. He had had nothing. He wouldn't allow himself that pleasure that he now enjoys and sometimes still won't admit.  
  
Damn child.  
  
He looked in on her but didn't enter her room. She had thrown all the covers off herself and had them wrapped in a ball, which she cuddled against. She seemed to be sleeping well.  
  
Hopefully the sleepy effects of the sensu bean would wear off and he could stop thinking about all these stupid things and concentrate on making themselves stronger instead of worrying about the past.  
  
..............  
  
She was wearing a dress!  
  
His daughter! A dress! To school! It was Wednesday and she was wearing a dress! What happened to my tomboy, he thought. He knew where he was standing when she was a tomboy. He never had to worry about her and boys.  
  
But it was Wednesday. Didn't she have lunch with Trunks on Wednesday's? This was not good.  
  
Trunk's was too old for her. Trunk's was not the right type of guy for his little girl. Trunk's could not be interested in her. They are just friends.  
  
"Hot date?" Fry said with a mouthful of cereal.  
  
Pan slapped him across the back of the head. "Listen you little weasel. I just felt like dressing up for a change."  
  
"A little short isn't it?" Fry said and ducked as Pan tried to hit him again.  
  
"You have been around Benot to often," she hissed at him.  
  
"Why-why are you wearing the dress dear?" he asked. And the sandals and why wasn't she wearing nylons? Don't women have to wear nylons with dresses like that? What was his little girl doing looking like a woman anyway? Especially on a Wednesday!  
  
"I have the afternoon off," she said and she poured her own breakfast.  
  
Afternoon off? That wasn't good, especially if she was going to lunch with Trunks. The lunch could go too long. He forced himself to look calm and take a deep breath.  
  
"Yeah, they cancelled my afternoon classes and lab, so Bra and I are going to get together and go to a matinee movie," she said taking a bite of the cereal.  
  
He sighed inwardly. She wasn't going to spend the afternoon with Trunks. He is just being a paranoid father. He has nothing to worry about. What kind of trouble could she get if she were going to go out to a movie with a pregnant Bra.  
  
"After lunch of course," Fry said. "Can't miss lunch can we."  
  
She kicked him from under the table. "I think that Benot is a bad influence on you. Can't you keep your mouth shut! Jez, and it's only lunch with Trunks anyway. I am not turning down free food."  
  
Only Lunch with Trunks. Free food. Trunk's was paying. That was a date. His little girl was on a date with Trunks.  
  
"Hey, dad. Are you okay?" Pan said.  
  
"Huh?" he said.  
  
"You look a little tense," Pan said pointing to the now torn paper in his hands. "Do have to make exams or are you in charge of detention this week?"  
  
"Exams," he mumbled and blushed. He was being foolish. His little girl was smarter than to fall for an older guy who was a notorious womanizer.  
  
"Can you give me a ride to school today. I am not in the mood for the bus and I really don't want to fly in this thing," she said. She reached over and grabbed the collar of Fry's shirt before he could say anything. "One word and I will plow you through the wall.  
  
Fry just grinned. "What? I didn't say anything! Dad!"  
  
...............  
  
He tried to ask her how she 'felt' about Trunks as he drove her to school. He couldn't though. She looked so happy and pretty in that skirt. Like her mother. He was happy and upset at the thought at the same time. He had liked it when Videl wore those short skirts that showed off her legs. And then there was the nylon thing. Why wasn't she wearing nylons?  
  
He dropped her off and waved, like an idiot, with Fry giggling at him.  
  
"What?" he said as he looked in his rear view mirror as they drove off.  
  
"You are acting funny." Fry said. "Like Pan could ever find a boyfriend and you are worrying about Trunks!" He giggled. "Hey, but wouldn't that be cool. That would make him Trunks my uncle then huh? And Pan my aunt? What would Vegeta be to me then, huh?"  
  
"You are not helping here Fry," Gohan growled at his son. He had just given him a whole knew bunch of reason for him not to like this.  
  
............  
  
Bulma looked at the tournament brochure. She knew what it meant. It meant that both her silly brute of a husband and Soyna were going to use it as an excuse to train harder.  
  
She didn't want to see them get hurt. It was hard enough watching Soyna sparing with Vegeta then Goten, with her arm in a sling. She knew that the Sensu beans were hard on her, but it would heal her arm and allow her to sleep even though Vegeta scowled as he picked her off the couch to take her to her room. He knew that he complained that he wouldn't be able to train without her.  
  
"One more day, won't kill you," she said only to get a mumble as he walked out of the room.  
  
Another stupid Tournament.  
  
"Why couldn't I have made my wish for a prince charming? Why did I have to get this life?" she sighed.  
  
..........  
  
A/N that is all for now...  
  
Enjoy?  
  
Yes?  
  
Let me know by reviewing!!!  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  



	12. The Match

  
It Never Ends  
  
  
  
C-14 - The Match.  
  
  
Trunks found himself in a very good mood as he got home. The morning had looked extra bleak. The morning meeting that he had was turning into a nightmare and he had stormed out of the meeting, not really intending to come back to talk to them.  
  
He had been late for lunch. Only by ten minutes, but he was greeted by a perturbed looking Pan.  
  
"You know, I do have other things to do, than wait for you," she had narrowed her eyes and was glaring right at him.  
  
He apologized and that is all that she seemed to need. She really wasn't in that argumentative of a mood, for which he was extremely grateful. The bad vibes of that meeting quickly melted away and he was able to enjoy his lunch.  
  
"You look very pretty today. Is there a special occasion?" he asked. She was wearing makeup and her hair was done up nice. She usually didn't got to school like that.  
  
"My afternoon lab got cancelled. I don't have to worry about putting holes in my clothes," She said. "And Bra and I are going to go to a movie and probably some shopping. She has been dying to get out in the last while."  
  
He didn't notice that she was wearing a skirt, until it was time to leave. It just touched the top of her knees, but he didn't think that he ever saw her in a dress before.  
  
Such a simple thing can make such a huge difference in how you look at things.  
  
He had to turn his head away so that she wouldn't see him blush as he paid the bill. He even convinced her to let him drive her back to Bra's.  
  
"Don't you have work?" she said looking at her watch. "It is nearly 2 o'clock."  
  
He shrugged thinking about how horrible the meeting went. "It won't go anywhere."  
  
He threw his briefcase down on the floor and had no intention of opening it up tonight. The house seemed abnormally quiet. The boys must be over at Gohan's. He didn't hear his mom around anywhere, or even if his dad was home.  
  
Didn't matter.  
  
He walked into the kitchen and was shocked to see Soyna sitting there, mulling over a newspaper and nibbling on fruit. She looked better than last time he saw her, but she still looked tired.  
  
"Hi," he said. He was still nervous about her. He didn't want to do anything to get her upset at him, yet again. "How are you feeling today?"  
  
"Fine," she said, without looking up.  
  
"Do you know where everyone is?"  
  
She looked up. "Bulma dragged Vegeta off somewhere. He wasn't too happy about it. Benot is still trying to hide that black eye from me, so they are over terrorized Videl and Gohan." She looked back down and took a piece of pineapple.  
  
He just nodded and went to get himself something to eat. Obviously, there was not going to be a meal prepared, so it was up to him to get his own food.  
  
"I have never tested your strength."  
  
He turned to see Soyna looking at him intensely.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We have never sparred yet, have we?" she said as she folded the paper.  
  
Sparing with Soyna? He looked at her stunned. He never really thought of it, even when Goten was getting his butt kicked by her with an injured arm the other day. She wasn't injured anymore, but he didn't know if he really wanted to fight her.  
  
"I would like to see how you compare," she said standing.  
  
"Compare to what?" he said a little nervously. He didn't know if he could fight her. He knew that she was strong.  
  
"My father," she said. "What do you say?" She had on a crooked smile that was so much like his fathers. "I'll go easy on you."  
  
"I won't be as easy to defeat as Goten," he said.  
  
"I am counting on that," She took another piece of her fruit plate and looked at him. "So. Are you going to change or do I have to wreck that nice suit of yours."  
  
............  
  
Gohan kept looking at his watch. "She's late," he said and paced the kitchen.  
  
Videl just shook her head. She sometimes wondered about her husband. "You know she is going to a movie with Bra and that means shopping too. Relax. Eat your supper and then go play with the boys. They will take you mind off what ever is eating at you."  
  
He stopped and sighed. "I have nothing to worry about."  
  
............  
  
She certainly seemed to wake up. She had changed too, as he had got into his training clothes. She also tied her hair up in a snug braid.  
  
"Ready," he said.  
  
She nodded and that gold aura surrounded her.  
  
He followed her example and powered up.  
  
She made the first move. He had watched her fight so many times before with his father. He knew some of her moves. He wasn't going to let her win that easy. He was going to make her work for it.  
  
Her fist just missed his jaw, he moved out of the way and tried to land his own fist in her side, but he missed.  
  
They chased each other for awhile. She was throwing a whole barrage of kicks and punches at him. She was leaving openings, but he knew better than to take them. She was quicker than he was. Those were traps. If he took them, he would be down. He had to wait for an opening that she didn't leave for him to take.  
  
Then her approach changed. She threw a small energy blast at him. He didn't see her even get the energy ready. It distracted him enough that she gave him a sharp uppercut, but then he was able to grab her arm.  
  
"Got ya," he laughed.  
  
She just smirked.  
  
................  
  
  
"Why is you dad acting so weird?" Legen said as he watched Gohan pace the kitchen.  
  
"He is worrying about Pan and her boyfriend," Fry said.  
  
"I didn't know she had a boyfriend," Benot said.  
  
"She doesn't. Dad is just being paranoid," Fry said. "He thinks that Pan and Trunks are secretly seeing each other behind his back."  
  
"Trunks?" Legen said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I thought they were dating," Legen said. "There always going for lunch and the other day, they were sitting so close together."  
  
"Na," Fry said. "At least, they haven't announced anything yet. I think they should soon before dad has a nervous breakdown."  
  
..............  
  
He started spin her around. She wasn't trying to stop the spin as he let go of her hand and expected to see her go flying as was surprised when she turned the momentum on him. She had grabbed his leg and flung him into the nearest tree.  
  
He shook himself and looked up at her. "That was a dirty trick," he growled.  
  
"I know," she smiled and then began her next barrage of attacks.  
  
................  
  
Gohan looked at his watch again.  
  
It was nearly nine. She was always home by nine.  
  
The house was quiet and he was just waiting for her. The twins were sent home a half an hour ago, and Fry was watching a cartoon on TV. He looked like he was going to fall asleep. He normally would have shuffled him off to bed but he was waiting for Pan to get home.  
  
Where was she?  
  
The door opened. He looked to see Pan walk in with a wide grin on her face and grass stains on her knees! Grass stains.  
  
"Where were you?" he demanded.  
  
"Huh? I told you. I was with Bra." She said and threw her bag down. "I need to go have a shower and then I am going to get a good nights rest." Before he could even protest, she gave him a peck on the cheek and bounded up the stairs. "'Night Daddy."  
  
"'Night Pan."  
  
He stood there for a second.  
  
Where did she get those grass stains?  
  
..............  
  
Legen was stunned to see his mother battling with Trunks! They both looked like they had been going at it awhile and neither of them looked as if they were going to give up.  
  
Benot was just wide eyed and looked on in awe. "I thought they weren't fighting anymore. You said that they were friends now."  
  
"I thought so too," Legen said as Trunks let out a scream and a large blast towards his mother who blocked it and then sent her own at him.  
  
...............  
  
"So how do I compare?" he said as he dodged a punch.  
  
"I'm not done testing you yet," she said with a smirk. "Let's see if you can avoid this."  
  
She moved quickly away from him, he noticed that her tail had unwound itself from the hiding spot around her waist and was twitching behind her. She crossed her arms and he felt a sudden burst of strength and her scream. "Stellar Bind!"  
  
"What?"  
  
He saw what the attack was as a broad band of energy came at him. It wrapped itself around him, forcing him to crash into the earth. He couldn't move his arms and felt the power drain out of him.  
  
The next thing he knew was that he was looking at the faces of Benot and Legen who were looking down at him.  
  
"Did mom kill him," Benot said and nudged his leg.  
  
"I didn't kill him," she said.  
  
"Why were you two fighting?" Legen asked.  
  
"We weren't fighting. We were sparing." She said. "Can you get up?"  
  
He sat up. His arms still felt numb. That was defiantly a new attack. He had never heard or seen that attack before. "What the hell was that? I have never seen you use that on dad."  
  
"It uses up a lot of energy," she said. "I don't like to use it very often. It is one of those attacks that seldom actually hit there target, but once it does, it is very devastating. I have never used it on your father yet."  
  
She reached a hand down to him to help him up. He took it. "So. How did I do over all as compared to your father?"  
  
"He wasn't able to avoid my Stellar Bind either," she said and then looked down at the boys. "And you two. You two should be getting for bed. You have school tomorrow."  
  
.................  
  
After a long shower, he decided to phone Pan to tell her the good news.  
  
Gohan answered the phone.  
  
"Is Pan there?" he asked.  
  
"She's sleeping already. Call back later," Gohan said tensely and then hung up.  
  
What was up with Gohan?  
  
Oh well, he called up his sister instead and told him what she had said. Bra laughed at him.  
  
"What is so funny?" he said.  
  
"I knew that you two would get it out of your systems sooner or later," she said.  
  
"She was the one that wanted to see if I was a comparable fighter. I think she meant that I was comparable to her father." Trunks said.  
  
"I know that. I just mean... Okay. There are two ways our family resolves its arguments. One is to yell and scream until you win. That is what mom and I do best. Two is to beat the daylights out of the person and then everything seems to be better, you and dad to that best. That also seems to be the way Soyna handles things." She took a breath. "You already yelled at her, so now, it was her turn to beat you up. She probably thought you couldn't hold your own. I am glad that you were able to finally get that out of your systems."  
  
He smiled. Sometimes, his little sister could be insightful.  
  
He hung up the phone and felt the exhaustion taking over his limbs. That was quite a workout. He hadn't sparred with anyone but his father, and that was usually a punishment of some sort.  
  
"No more questions! Get to bed!" He heard Soyna commanding her boys.  
  
He smirked as he mounted the stairs to head to his own room.  
  
"Did you take it easy on him?"  
  
"How long did you two fight?"  
  
"Enough! Bed." She said. She was trying to sound angry but it didn't work.  
  
"Can we call him grandpa now?"  
  
"Vegeta hates it when we call him that."  
  
"No. You will call him Trunks. Bed."  
  
"But mom..."  
  
"Do you want me to start asking questions about that black eye of yours?"  
  
He heard the boys scamper to their rooms and call goodnight to their mother.  
  
Grandpa. He hadn't thought about that for awhile. He was so busy struggling with the idea that Soyna was his OTHER selves daughter, that he never really thought that he was a grandfather too.  
  
It didn't bother him as much anymore.  
  
..............  
  
Gohan looked at his brother who looked as if he had rolled down a hill. "What the hell were you up too?"  
  
He rubbed the back of his head and shuffled his feet. "Nothing."  
  
"Yeah, right. What did you do?"  
  
"Well. Pan was standing right there and I thought that I could scare her and then... well, she tossed me," he said with a whisper. "It was partly Junior's idea too. He only got kicked in the stomach but she threw me down the hill!"  
  
He squinted at his brother.  
  
"It was supposed to be a joke. You know. I was bugging her earlier about wearing the dress and people mistaking her as a girl for a change," he said.  
  
He crossed his arms.  
  
"She must train more than she lets on! There is no way she should have got me so bad."  
  
That explained the grass stains. At least it had nothing to do with Trunks.  
  
"You really should teach her some manners," Goten said and limped up to his room.   
  
Then why was Trunks phoning her?  
  
.............  
  
Bulma was in a great mood. She had to bribe Vegeta to get him to eat in a restaurant, but it worked. She enjoyed the night even though Vegeta was getting grumpy now. He still did not like spending time with other humans. He was a hell of a lot more tolerant that he used to be, but still it sometimes was a chore.  
  
She looked over at her husband who was in his usual pouting poise.  
  
"It wasn't that bad was it?" she said.  
  
"At least the food was good," he mumbled.  
  
She turned her attention back to the road as they turned into the Capsule Corporation compound.  
  
There was something wrong.  
  
She got out of the car and looked around.  
  
"What the hell happened to my lawn!"  
  
............  
  
Well,   
  
  
  
AN- it seems that my writers block has been lifted... I did have a hard time struggling through the last two chapters, but I think I am back on track... I hope I haven't spoken too soon. Anyway.... I thought Trunks and Soyna were due for a sparing. Will Goten ever win at anything again? When will Trunks and Pan realize what Gohan is so upset about?  
  
Soyna  
  
  



	13. The next part

It Never Ends  
  
C-15   
  
  
"What the hell happened to your arms?" Bulma asked her son. He looked half asleep as he walked into the kitchen, only wearing a pair of sweat pants. There were two large bands, which looked almost like burns.  
  
He looked at them. "Oh. Nothing mom," he said and went to get some coffee.  
  
"Nothing!" She exclaimed. "You destroy my lawn last night sparring with Soyna! You won't tell me why you fought and neither will she and you say that it is nothing!"  
  
"Must you yell so early in the morning?" Vegeta grumbled from his chair.  
  
"Yes I must!" She snapped at him. "What is going on here! I liked it much better when you and Soyna weren't talking to each other. At least I knew what the hell was going on around here!" She stormed out of the kitchen, not wanting to deal with either her husband or son. She brushed by Soyna as she left. "No more destroying my lawn!"  
  
.............  
  
He looked at Soyna slink into the kitchen. She looked so much better than she did yesterday. Maybe the sparing match had helped her.  
  
Vegeta didn't look up from the paper that he was reading. "Are you going to cook breakfast?"  
  
"No," she said simply.  
  
He glared up at her. "And why not?"  
  
"You can fend for yourself. Make sure the boys go to school and don't let them forget their lunches," she said and grabbed a jacket.  
  
"Where are you going?" Trunks asked. It was awful early to be going anywhere.  
  
"Out," she said.  
  
"I am not a nanny," Vegeta grumbled.  
  
She shrugged. "I will cook dinner and breakfast tomorrow then," she said. "I really must go." And then she was gone without so much of a word.  
  
Dad didn't look too happy about it. "Stupid child, always taking off."  
  
"Where does she go?" he asked.  
  
Dad didn't answer. That was his way of saying that he didn't know.  
  
...............  
  
Junior smirked.  
  
"It isn't funny!" Goten said. "I can't win against anyone!"  
  
"You just have to keep training and your skills will come back," Junior said. "It took Soyna a whole year after getting out of the hospital to gain the ability of going supersaiyian again and then she couldn't hold it for very long. It took her a long time to get where she used to be."  
  
"What do you mean?" Goten said.  
  
Junior rubbed his eyes. "It's the poison. It does a lot of damage to your system. Didn't you feel that you couldn't reach your full strength when you powered up?"  
  
Goten looked like he was thinking about it for a bit. "I didn't feel anything different," he contemplated. "I just thought that I was loosing control of my strength."  
  
"That's what happens. I don't think they intended the poison to be an inhibitor, they just wanted it to kill, but it is a nasty side effect." Junior said.  
  
Goten sighed. "You mean, I am not loosing to the girls because they are better than me."  
  
"Well," Junior smirked, "I wouldn't say that."  
  
...............  
  
  
"It took you long enough," Vegeta said as Soyna walked in. He had given up trying to follow her a long time ago. She would always detect him and would tell him to leave her alone. A couple of times, she would fiercely attack him and then hide herself so he couldn't find her. She never would tell him where she was going and he hated not knowing. He really hated it.  
  
She just blinked at him and looked at the clock on the wall. "I still have plenty of time before the boys get home."  
  
"I was hoping to get some exercise today," he said. It had been nearly two whole weeks and he hadn't spared. With Soyna being ill and Bulma dragging him around the city, he was anxious to use his muscles.  
  
She glanced at the clock again. "After dinner," she said and then walked out.  
  
He narrowed his eyes at her.  
  
............  
  
Pan was getting very frustrated with her uncle. "This is easy stuff," she said as she showed him how the chemical reaction works on paper.  
  
He tugged at his hair. He really needed to get a trim. "I really hate school."  
  
"You just have to get through this and you will be home free. God knows what you will do for a living," she said. She never imagined her uncle working. He just was such a carefree guy, she didn't think he could even hold a job for long.  
  
"I was thinking of opening a gym," Goten said. "I don't need chemistry to open a gym."  
  
Her uncle did have ambitions.  
  
"Don't look so shocked!" he said. "It is all I really know how to do. I am not like your or Gohan. I not that smart, but I know what a gym needs."  
  
Pan listened to her uncle talk about what he would like to build. It sounded good.  
  
"It would have everything!" He said with a wide smile. "Absolutely everything."  
  
"How do you plan on getting the money. That would cost a lot," she said. "Well, I figure, if I enter that tournament for that flyer I saw, that would give me enough to start and I am sure Trunks would help out, don't you think?"  
  
She smiled.  
  
He was using his brain.  
  
"But you have to win the tournament to get the money, Goten," she teased.  
  
He let out a sigh, "I know. I somehow have to get back into shape." He rubbed his throat. "I have to start winning some of the sparing matches."  
  
"I'll help you," she said, with what I can.   
  
"I need your help in holding off mom," he said. "I don't think she would like the idea all that much of me entering another tournament."  
  
"Gotcha," she said.  
  
Her uncle smile dimmed again as he looked at the chemistry homework. "Now, explain to me, what the difference between a cation and an ion is again."  
  
............  
  
Trunk's was drained from sitting in that meeting. It took all day and they got nowhere. Nowhere! They just talked in circles and it was driving him nuts. He was glad that they got out of there at four. He doubted he could have handled hearing his voice for one more second, even though he had another daylong meeting tomorrow.  
  
Of course, nothing could have prepared him for what he heard when he came through the front door of his house.  
  
Benot was standing beside his mother looking angrily at two people he did not know that had a little girl with pink hair.  
  
Soyna looked rather calm.  
  
The man was talking and said the oddest thing and it was directed at him. "I am sure that if he had a father that was around instead of hiding at the office all day, your boy wouldn't be so violent!"  
  
She turned her head slightly and looked at him. He just stood their stunned. He was very aware how much Benot took after him, especially when he first arrived and had seen the boy. Even Goten had asked him, if there was something he wasn't telling him. It was humorous after he got over all that shock.  
  
Benot was the one that yelled back at the man. "That is not my FATHER! My mother is a WIDOW! My FATHER DIED a long time ago."  
  
The man blushed slightly and looked like he was about to apologize. Soyna wasn't doing anything to stop Benot from yelling and he continued. She looked amazingly calm.  
  
"All I did was undo her braids! I didn't give HER a BLACK eye!" He said glaring at the little girl that was now hiding behind her mother's legs. Benot pointed to his shadowed eye. Then he muttered under his breath, "I should have though."  
  
"Well, I never," the woman said.  
  
"Really?" Soyna said. "I thought you two were here to have a civilized conversation. You just seem to be ready to point fingers. Trust me when I say that Benot is getting punished enough for his little prank."  
  
"Then why didn't you show up for the parent teacher conference," the woman said.  
  
"I have not been well for the last couple of weeks. I did not become aware of the situation until later, which is why I allowed you in my house." She said. She still was amazingly calm. Benot seemed to be the one that held all the anger at the moment.  
  
"I told the principal that my mom was sick, but he didn't believe me!" Benot said. "I wasn't lying!"  
  
"You look fine now," the woman said.  
  
"I am," she said, her eyes narrowing for the first time.  
  
"My little girl doesn't deserve the detention because of your delinquent son!" she said.  
  
She clenched her teeth together. She was starting to get angry.  
  
"I GOT a BLACK EYE here!" Benot snapped. Soyna put a hand on his head and pushed him back.  
  
"My son also received a detention," she said. "You should talk to the school about their disciplinary measures if you don't agree with them. My son, is the one that now has the stigma of getting a black eye for a pink haired little girl." Soyna said.  
  
"Hey!" Benot said. "Mom, you are supposed to stick up for me!"  
  
Trunks could hear Legen giggling around the corner.  
  
"My little angel..." the woman started.  
  
Soyna growled.  
  
Trunks decided that he should step in. She was going to loose her temper and do something that she was going to regret big time. He came forward. "Now, now, we don't need to get into a fight here."  
  
"You tell 'em!" Benot said. Soyna gave her son a glare and Benot hid behind his legs.  
  
"If you're not the father of this boy, you do not need to be in this conversation!" The woman said.  
  
She was being a stubborn bitch. Just like his mother. He knew how to handle this. He dreamed of talking back to his mother, but he never really had the guts for that, after all, she was his mother, but this woman, was not.  
  
"I think I do!" He said sharply. "The martial affairs of anyone in this household is none of your business. The disciplining of Benot is none of your business and if anything, it is your little girl that owes Benot an apology!"  
  
She gasped.  
  
The little girl then spoke, "I will never apologize to the creep!"  
  
"Strawberry head!" Benot countered.  
  
"Turnip head!" she snapped back.  
  
"Cotton Ball!"  
  
"Girly hair!"  
  
"Freak!"  
  
"Jerk"  
  
"Enough you two!" Trunks said. Jeez, that's kids for you.  
  
Soyna was smiling again.  
  
"Rose!" Her mother exclaimed.  
  
"Isn't that sweet. They like each other!" Soyna said with a wide grin.  
  
"What!" Both kids exclaimed.  
  
"How can I like the grape juice boy!" Rose yelled.  
  
"How can I like that freak of nature!" Benot snapped.  
  
Soyna just smiled and looked at her boy.  
  
"It is not like that mom! How can I like someone whose hair looks like cotton candy."  
  
Legen was laughing up a storm from the hall now.  
  
"He is rude and arrogant and a pain in the ass." Rose said. "Mom, can we go home now!" She tugged on her shocked mother's arm. She stuck her tongue out at him. He returned it.  
  
"Barbie doll!" Benot fumed.  
  
"Trash man!" she snapped back.  
  
"I think we will be leaving," said Rose's father as he scooped up his little girl.  
  
"It was nice to meet you. I am sure that we will meet again," Soyna said.  
  
"Wimp!"  
  
"Hey! I am not a wimp!" Benot snapped.  
  
Rose stuck her tongue out loudly at him as her parents escorted her out the door.   
  
Soyna gave out a light laugh. A rather strange sound coming from her.  
  
Benot was fuming. There was almost steam rising off of his head. "That was not funny mom."  
  
"It got rid of them didn't it?" she said. Legen's laughing quickly distracted Benot.  
  
"Shut up Legen!" Benot yelled.  
  
"Wait until I tell the guys in class!"  
  
They were gone in a flash, Benot chasing after Legen. You could hear Legen laughing as he ran.  
  
He looked at Soyna who had on a light smile, not her normal grim one. She looked at him for a bit and then walked away, towards the kitchen.  
  
She was in a good mood.   
  
He shook his head and decided that he was going to go to bed early and try not to deal with his extended family for the rest of the day. They were just too weird at times.  
  
...............  
  
"Finally," Vegeta said stretching, getting ready to spar with Soyna. She looked oddly happy today and well. She hadn't look so well in a couple of months.  
  
"Well," she said. "Are you just going to stand there, or are we going to destroy the lawn again?"  
  
He laughed as they flew off to a safer place to destroy.  
  
  
...............  
  
He had not seen his daughter in the morning; she had left for school early. He was glad to see that she wasn't wearing a dress, and was back to her tomboyish ways. Of course, it was Thursday and she didn't have lunch with Trunks on Thursday, but it was still good to see.  
  
"How was school today?" he asked her.  
  
"Good. My lab went perfect and I got a 100 % recovery rate. I should be getting an 8 in it, if this keeps up," she said.  
  
"That's good," he said, still looking at his daughter intently. He was looking for any signs that she might be interested in Trunks in her face or on her neck... he couldn't see any.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"Like what?" he said.  
  
"Dad!" She said. "I wore the dress yesterday because I was going to met Bra! You know that if I don't wear one, she will make me buy one and I don't need anymore of them in my closet!" she said. "Jeez, you are paranoid."  
  
"I can't help it," he shrugged.  
  
"Well, I hate to tell you dad, I am not a little girl anymore!" she said and stormed out of the room.  
  
He groaned. He knew that she wasn't a little girl anymore, but she didn't need to tell him that.  
  
...............  
  
  
"DONE!" Goten yelled. "I have a whole three days in which I don't have to open a stupid book!" He folded his papers and closed his binders.  
  
Junior was gratefully as well. This week of suspension was more strenuous that going to school, especially with having to help out Goten with his studies.  
  
"What do you want to do now?" Junior asked.  
  
"I really need to stretch my muscles," Goten said. "Hey, let's go spar. I really need to get up on my training if I want to enter that tournament."  
  
"You were serious about that?" Junior said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You don't think you can beat Soyna do you?" Junior said. "I mean, the last couple of times, she beat you into the ground."  
  
"That's not true. Gohan stopped us once," he said. "I technically didn't loose."  
  
"Technically," Junior said. "You have only two months to get good enough to beat her and I doubt that will happen."  
  
"I won't know unless I try. I am sure I can convince her to help me train and I think Vegeta will too," Goten said.  
  
"You have one hell of a death wish," Junior smiled.  
  
"Come one. You are supposed to be my bud. You are supposed to support me," Goten said with a puppy-dog-face.  
  
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Sis, won't kill you, maybe she will just maim you."  
  
Goten frowned. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."  
  
............  
  
  
  
Well, her is another chapter....  
It seems like everyone is preparing for a tournament now...  
There is two months of training before the big day...stay tuned for the next exciting episode of IT NEVER ENDS  
  
Soyna  
  
  



	14. Shock to the System

  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C-16  
  
Shock to the System  
  
  
Vegeta grumbled as he watched Goten and Soyna sparing. It was Sunday morning and it was supposed to his time to train, but Goten was here early and they started.  
  
It had crept up on him. He knew that Goten had been trying to get in shape for the upcoming tournament and he somehow figured that training with Soyna was his best bet.  
  
For a whole month Goten was over more often to train with Soyna and after his training he hung around with Junior and they studied that nonsense they taught in school.  
  
It didn't affect his training at first, but now it was seriously cutting into his time when he spared with Soyna. Unfortunately, he couldn't just go to the ship and use the gravity, for it seems that Bulma would hunt him down there and drag him off somewhere every single time! He was certain she installed sensors of some sort in there, but he couldn't find them.  
  
So he had to be satisfied watching Soyna and Goten trying to attack each other. Goten certainly had improved but he was still no match for her.  
  
He grinned inwardly at that. At least someone from his bloodline could clobber someone from the Kakarott's line.  
  
Today he was itching to fight. He wasn't about to wait for Soyna to finish up with Goten; she seemed to be taking it at a slower pace than normal. She was toying with him, so they would be awhile longer.  
  
He decided that he was going to get his lazy ass son out of bed. He hadn't been training lately and had been gallivanting around the city. He needed to be reminded that he was part Saiyian.  
  
He watched the two a little bit more and was satisfied that Goten was going to end up with his face in the dirt, yet again. He went to wake up his son.  
  
He never bothered to knock on the door. He threw it open wide, "Get your lazy ass out of bed right now!" he hollered but was not really prepared for what he saw.  
  
He was stunned.  
  
He now knew the reason that his son was never home the last couple of weeks. He had been with a woman.  
  
He sat bolt up in the bed, his face all flushed red, there were clothes strew about the room, some that were obviously not his sons. The woman that he was with was hiding behind him. All he could see of her was her hands that were clutching his son's waist and a bit of dark hair.  
  
"Dad." Trunks said.  
  
He just stood there for a bit and watched his son squirm, "I can explain," he said.  
  
"I don't care about that woman," he said. "Get rid of her and I need someone to train with." He stood firm in the door. He wasn't going to move until he got his sparing partner.  
  
The woman whispered something and Trunks whispered back, "I'll take care of it."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at his son. "Just because you have a woman in your bed, doesn't mean that I am going to turn away. Soyna is fighting Goten again and I want to spar. If I have to drag you out naked, I will!"  
  
He watched his son's face turn crimson red. The woman said something else. She sounded a little frightened. That was good.  
  
"But dad...I promised her that I..."  
  
He looked angrily at Trunks. Trunks closed his mouth and sighed. "We might as well tell him." Trunks whispered to the woman he was hiding.  
  
He could see the woman shake her head behind his son's back. He looked on. Did he know her? His son had never been shy about his girlfriends before, he had even brought a few home, from time to time, but he was never worried about it or how his family would react or how the woman would react to them. Why was this one different?  
  
"Show yourself woman," Vegeta growled.  
  
"Dad!" Trunks said. "This is between me and her!"  
  
"You will have to tell me eventually son, might as well now," he said.  
  
The woman gave a deep sigh.  
  
"You just can't tell anyone else right now, okay." Trunks said.  
  
"We'll see," Vegeta said now extremely curious on whom this girl was. Who could it be? Why were they were keeping it such a secret? It must be he someone he already knew, but he didn't know that many women and couldn't think of who it could be.  
  
He wasn't expecting to see Pan.  
  
He had never been so shocked in his life!  
  
"Hi Vegeta," she said as she looked around his son's torso.  
  
Pan!  
  
No wonder they kept it a secret. Gohan was going to kill Trunks for sure, when he found out. He wasn't too sure how to react.  
  
"You can't tell anyone dad. We have to find the right time to tell Gohan," Trunks said sitting up now, pulling the sheet over his lap. Pan disappeared behind him again.  
  
He tried to hide the shocked look on his face and examined his son again. He didn't see this coming at all. He never would have thought that their friendship would have led them to bed together. But then he never had really worried about his son's relationships. He worried about his daughters and she was able hide that from him for a long while.  
  
"How long have you two been doing this?" He was finally able to voice.  
  
"A couple of weeks," Trunks said in a whisper and his whole face was red.  
  
He could see scratch marks on his shoulders. He didn't want to know the details. He looked away.  
  
"We love each other," Pan said from behind Trunks.  
  
"We were going to tell everyone later," Trunks said.  
  
He closed his eyes.  
  
Pan!  
  
Kakarott's grandchild and his son have chosen each other. His daughter may have married a human, but at least he was smart and did care for his little princess, but his son, choose a woman that was part of the person that he despised the most. Kakarott.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Get dressed," he told his son. "Pan go home."  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Vegeta?"  
  
"I expect you downstairs in ten," Vegeta said to his son. "I expect you gone." He directed at Pan.  
  
.........  
  
Vegeta waited for his son and was growing angrier by the minute. He had kept it a secret from everyone. Sleeping with Pan!   
  
He knew that they had been spending a lot of time together, but he never saw this! He was very aware of how Goten had a crush on his little princess before he left. He could see it when he looked at her. He had been ready to step into that relationship in a second, but it never developed.  
  
It was probably one of the reason he didn't kill Raymond when he announced that they were getting married. It meant that his bloodline wouldn't mess with Kakarott's. It meant that Goten no longer was a prospect for his little girl. He would rather deal with a human than deal with a part third class saiyian.  
  
He had never thought his son would be interested in Pan!  
  
He suspected Junior for a little while of being interested in Pan, until he heard him crooning over some blond to Pan. He was very much relieved that to hear that.  
  
But Trunks and Pan! That was a much worse situation.  
  
He turned to see his son in his work out clothes.  
  
"Did you send her home?" he asked. He found it hard to not sound angry. He wanted to remain cool about this. He didn't want to loose his temper, but it was already boiling.  
  
Trunks nodded.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking!" Vegeta snapped.  
  
Trunk looked surprised and blushed, "Well, uh...I... it just happened."  
  
"That doesn't just happen!" Vegeta yelled.  
  
Trunks looked at the floor and in a whisper, "That's how it happened with you and mom."  
  
He snorted at that comment. What did he know about that? Nothing!  
  
"She is to young for you!" Vegeta said. He wanted to say she was too weak but knew that wasn't true. She may be a third class saiyian off spring but she was no where weak. No matter how much admitting that hurt his ego.  
  
"We talked about that!" Trunks said. "We are both adults now!"  
  
He snapped his teeth together. He looked at the determination in his son's eyes. Did he love her? Did it really matter? They obviously were considering each other for involvement of the personal nature.  
  
"Just don't tell anyone yet. Please, dad," Trunks said. "We have to find a way to tell Gohan without him killing me."  
  
He snorted, "That could be your greatest challenge to come, boy."  
  
Trunks got a defeated look on his face and sighed heavily.  
  
"I do not approve," he said.  
  
Trunks looked crushed for a moment.  
  
"But I don't really have a say." Vegeta finished. He saw his son try to suppress a smile. "Let's go now, boy. I am itching for a fight."  
  
Trunks just nodded and followed his father.  
  
They both powered up and got ready to fight. Vegeta couldn't resist. "I just hope you had enough brains to use protection."  
  
Seeing his son's face blanch was not the reaction he wanted to see.  
  
............  
  
Goten was watching Trunks and Vegeta fight. They were really going at each other and Vegeta looked more pissed off than normal.  
  
He sipped his bottle of water.  
  
He was forced to stop his training with Soyna, due too two children that were quarreling about something. They had both run out of the house yelling at Soyna about one thing or another. She went to go listen to both of their arguments.  
  
The boys fighting each other seemed to disturb their training about every second time. He didn't realize they were such a handful. Of course, they never bothered her while she was sparing with Vegeta. He wasn't as threatening as Vegeta.  
  
He didn't really mind though. He was still sore from the last sparing match. The place she had hit him in the shoulders still stung but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone.  
  
Plus, watching Vegeta and Trunks sure was something. Trunks was on the major defense, he hardly was able to get an attack in.  
  
"Catch," he turned to see Soyna had returned. She had brought his a cold soda. He caught but was a little bit surprised that she brought him one. He wasn't about to complain though.  
  
She took a sip of her own soda and looked at the two fighting figures.  
  
"What pissed Vegeta off?" she said.  
  
Goten just shrugged. "I don't have a clue, but he is not letting up any." He looked back at the two warriors. Vegeta defiantly had the upper hand. He looked back to Soyna. He was going to ask her if they were going to finish her match, but he found himself looking at her. When she wasn't acting so tough, and when she wasn't so tense, she looked almost nice.  
  
"Their match will be over soon," she said and sat down on the lawn beside him. He was shocked by that action as well. He knew that she had been loosening up around him and she wasn't so curt, but acting nice, was still a stretch.  
  
Her eyes were concentrating on the fight.  
  
Her prediction of a quick end to a fight came true. He didn't see the blow that Vegeta gave Trunks, but Trunks was soon embedded in the lawn in front of him. He leaned over the hole a bit to see his injured friend.  
  
He was done.  
  
Vegeta landed on the other side of the hole.  
  
"A little over zealous today, Vegeta?" she said.  
  
"I don't think so," Vegeta said simply looking down as Trunks crawled out of the small crater. "Are you done with him?" Vegeta pointed to Goten.  
  
She glanced over at Goten and nodded.  
  
"Hey," Goten said. "I thought we weren't done our match yet!"  
  
Vegeta grumbled. "I think you should talk to Trunks. Maybe you can knock some sense into him."  
  
He looked at Trunks who gave him a sheepish grin. What did he do? Soyna looked curious too.  
  
Vegeta started to levitate. Soyna followed and then they were gone.  
  
Goten looked curiously at his friend. "What did you do?"  
  
Trunks brushed some dirt off his shoulder and blushed deeply. "I'll tell you later."  
  
Goten stood and helped his friend but he wasn't going to let it go that easily. Especially when Vegeta was so angry. It had to be something good.  
  
"Come on, it can't be that bad. What did you do to get your dad so mad at you?" he grinned. He could see Trunks was avoiding looking at him. "Come on! Tell me or I will beat it out of you!"  
  
Trunks grinned. "You still can't beat Soyna, how the hell do you plan on beating me?"  
  
"Hey, at least I have been training!" he said. "What have you been doing?"  
  
He blushed again.  
  
What has he been doing? "Is it a girl?"  
  
He saw Trunks stiffen.  
  
"Okay. It's a girl. Who is it?" Goten asked. "Do I know her?"  
  
Trunks nodded and sank down on the grass. His knees were a bit wobbly.  
  
"Who? Is it Marron? I know Marron always had a thing for you!"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"Is it someone from the secretary pool? I used to know quite a few girls there." Goten said.  
  
"No, you moron!" Trunks snapped. "We weren't planning on telling anyone for a while! I was especially didn't want dad to be the first one that found out!"  
  
"How did he find out?" Goten asked.  
  
Trunks mumbled something that he couldn't quite make out. "What?"  
  
"Dad caught us in bed together. He woke me up to train with him this morning and she was with me," Trunks sighed and brushed his bangs out of his face.  
  
Goten laughed. "What a way to get a secret out? Was she here? Is she still here? Is she cute? Come on. Details. Details!"  
  
"I don't think you want details," Trunks said lifting himself up. His knees were still a little wobbly as he walked towards the house.  
  
Goten followed. "Come on! You have to tell me. Who is this woman that you have been keeping a secret from everyone? Come on? Who is this love of your life?"  
  
They charged into the kitchen. Benot and Legen were raiding the fridge.  
  
"I can't tell you who she is. I promised her that we would tell people together!" Trunks said.  
  
That was when Benot spoke up. "I know who it is!"  
  
Trunks looked at the boy startled.  
  
"Who?" Goten asked.  
  
"I'm not telling you for free!" Benot said.  
  
Goten rolled his eyes. "What do you want you little twerp?"  
  
"If you are going to talk like that to me, I won't tell you!" Benot said with a grin.   
  
Goten sighed. "I'm sorry okay. What do you want?"  
  
"I want to learn how to fly. Mom still won't teach me, and I know how to fall off a building thanks to Vegeta. I want to fly. If you teach me, I will tell you who Trunks is hiding from everyone." Benot said.  
  
"How do you know?" Trunks said as he looked angrily at the boy.  
  
Benot was unfazed by the angry look.  
  
"Your room is right next to mine. The walls are not that thick," Benot said with an evil grin.  
  
Trunk's face turned a brilliant red again and he groaned.  
  
"Tell me," Goten said.  
  
"You have to promise me,"  
  
"I promise. Next weekend. I will teach you..."  
  
"And me!" Legen said. "I am not going to be left in the dust!"  
  
"Okay, I will teach you both how to fly. Promise. Now, tell me." Goten said.  
  
"Don't you dare Benot!" Trunks said. "I'll tell your mother about the disaster you created at the mall!"  
  
"She already knows about that!" Benot said.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me!" Goten said. The suspense was killing him.  
  
"Benot!" Trunks said and lunged at the boy, but he wasn't fast enough.  
  
"Pan!" Benot yelled.  
  
Pan?  
  
"Come on. Get serious here!" Goten said. "Who is it really?"  
  
"It's Pan! I saw her sneaking out his window just three times last week," Benot said smugly and stuck his tongue out at Trunks.  
  
"You don't know how to fly yet," Trunks growled and tried to grab Benot, but he quickly dodged Trunks.  
  
"My niece. That Pan!" Goten said. He was in shock as he looked at his friend finally get a hold of Benot's shoulder and held him firm.  
  
Legen stood to the side and sipped his pop with a grin on his face.  
  
"My niece!" Goten wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Pan and Trunks."  
He watched as Benot managed to squirm away. It was one of those things that he was really rather good at.  
  
Was he supposed to be angry with him, or glad for them? The emotions turned inside him.  
  
He watched both boys run out of the room. Trunks stood there looking confused at him. "Aren't you going to say anything?"  
  
He blinked at his friend. "I thought Pan was just busy training for the tournament. I didn't think she was 'training' with you."  
  
"It wasn't like that! I mean. She's the one that made the first move and I didn't know what to do at first. I mean, she brought this big meal into work because I couldn't make it in for lunch. She even cooked it. We started to talk and then the next thing that I knew, she had kissed me. Okay. It took me a whole week to get over that, and then she kissed me again and I... I..." Trunks sighed. "Man. It sounds so corny."  
  
"She is my little niece!" Goten said. The anger side was taking over. He couldn't understand why, but it was. "I doesn't matter if she made the first move!"  
  
Trunks own anger flared. "Hey! Your one to talk when you told me about you and Bra!"  
  
"That was a long time ago and I never slept with Bra!" Goten said in his own defense. "I only got to kiss her once and then I..."  
  
"I don't plan on leaving Pan!" Trunks said.  
  
Yeah. He left and she didn't wait.  
  
"I never meant to fall in love with her but I couldn't stop myself once she kissed me, she had me hooked and I couldn't think of anything but her until I saw her again!" Trunks said. Goten could hear the desperation in his voice.  
  
"If anyone, I thought you would understand how I feel," Trunks said.  
  
Goten looked at his friend. He did understand. But he was jealous at the same time. His friend found love and he had lost what he thought was his because of his own stupid actions. He had to be like his father, didn't he?  
  
"Just don't leave her," Goten said.  
  
"I never will." Trunks said.  
  
They looked at each other in silence for a moment.  
  
"How are you going to tell Gohan?"  
  
Trunks looked crushed and brushed his hair back nervously. "I was hoping you could hold him back until the news set in."  
  
Goten grinned. "So when the wedding date?"  
  
Trunks flushed.   
  
  
.............  
  
  
A/N There we go... yet another chapter, to It Never Ends.  
How will telling Gohan go? I am even curious!! (insert loud evil laughter here) Some of you are wondering who will be competing in the tournament. More to be revealed in the next exciting episode of IT NEVER ENDS!!!  
  
Oh yeah.... Thanks anidragon... my fingers weren't listening to my head when I wrote that sentence!  
  
I still hope you all are enjoying my story, now that stats are gone, **sniff** but the few reviews that I get are greatly appreciated! Trust me. It keeps my a writing..  
  
Anyway....  
  
On to the next chapter for me and I hope you all liked this one.  
  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  
  



	15. Tension

It Never Ends  
  
C-17  
  
Tension   
  
  
  
Junior was very much aware that Goten was not concentrating on his schoolwork. He kept looking out the window and shaking his head at something.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Junior finally asked.  
  
"Nothing!" he said startled. "Nothing is wrong! Why would you ask?"  
  
Everyone was acting so weird today! Vegeta was still storming around the house. Trunk's was where ever his father wasn't. The one-day that he slept in and he missed the big mess that happened earlier. Even his sister was acting odd as she feel asleep on the couch watching cartoons with Legen. She never watched cartoons.  
  
He wanted to know what was going on but no one was telling him.  
  
Goten rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Hey, don't get mad at me! I didn't do anything."  
  
"What happened this morning?" he asked.  
  
He was hiding something. He looked back down at the books. "Nothing," he said.  
  
"You're lying? How did Benot convince YOU, of all people, to teach him how to fly?" Junior said.  
  
"I just thought I would be nice to the brat," Goten said. Boy, did his smile look false.  
  
"Nice to Benot! You hate Benot! Don't you remember the little midget with the purple hair that calls you wimp all the time? That Benot and you are going to teach him how to fly?" He said.  
  
He just smiled.  
  
He knew he was glaring.  
  
Goten squirmed a bit.  
  
"I can't tell you," he said finally. "I promised."  
  
He hated being kept in the dark. Why was he always the last to know what was going on?  
  
..........  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Huh?" Pan said as she startled awake from her chair. She had hardly touched her breakfast.  
  
He looked down at this daughter and was worried about her. She had been studying so hard lately and doing so much training that she was hardly ever home.  
  
"Are you having trouble in school?" he asked.  
  
"Nah," she said rubbing her eyes. "Just was a long week," she said and smiled at her father.  
  
"You have been pushing yourself so hard the last month. Are you sure that you want to enter this tournament? You hardly are home anymore." He said. "I don't want you to burn yourself out."  
  
"Don't worry dad. I am fine," she said and started to pick at her food. "I can handle it."  
  
"I think you have been training to hard," he said. "Maybe you should ease up. You don't need the money that bad to pay off the student loan. You know that I will help you."  
  
She smiled at him. "I don't want you to worry about it dad. If I win, even the third place, I will be able to get rid of all that debt. I know that I won't get first with Soyna entering. I know that I can't beat her. I know that Marron is entering so I am treating her as my main competition." She said. "I should be able to beat her, but I am still so rusty."  
  
"Maybe you should take it easy for the rest of the day. You were up awful early this morning," he said.  
  
She looked down at her food. "I planned on it," she said. "Vegeta kind of threw a wretch into those plans."  
  
Vegeta?  
  
"Where were you this morning?"  
  
"Watching Goten train with Soyna," she said.  
  
That still didn't explain why Vegeta threw a wretch into her day's plans but before he could say anything she stood from the table. "I am going to go take a nap." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and disappeared into her room.  
  
He looked at the clock. It wasn't even noon yet. She was just pushing herself to hard.  
  
.............  
  
"What the hell is your problem?"  
  
Vegeta didn't have to look at Bulma to know that she was standing there with her hands on her hips and a very angry look on her face. He didn't respond to her question. Normally she would yell at him for a bit then snap, "I give up," and storm off to do something.  
  
"What did you do to Trunks!" She yelled. "Why the hell is he hiding from you?"  
  
He smirked. The boy deserved to get scared. Hiding such a thing from them and then bringing her into this house without their knowledge.  
  
"Answer me you big oaf!" she said.  
  
He looked to her. She did look quite angry.  
  
"He got what he deserved. I am not the one that he is afraid of," Vegeta said. He was hoping to have some peace. The training with Soyna hadn't even got the tension out of his system yet. Soyna hadn't asked him what was bothering him. She knew he would tell her eventually. He usually did. He wanted to know why she was up so early herself and why she was sparing with Goten instead of waiting for him.  
  
He didn't know what her reaction would be to this news. She had never mentioned how she would have felt if she ever saw her mother in this time. Vegeta had taken it for granted that Trunks would find the woman that was their mother. He just thought it was a matter of time. He didn't think Trunks had any interest in little Pan. Not that way anyway.  
  
"What do you mean?" Bulma asked.  
  
He really didn't want to tell her. She would find out tonight. He had made Trunks promise that they would tell tonight. He would tell Gohan first, of course. He wasn't going to protect his boy from Gohan's reaction. He got what he deserved for keeping something like that so much of a secret.  
  
"VEGETA!"  
  
He looked at her again. She looked really angry.  
  
"ANSWER ME!" she said.  
  
"You will find out later woman!" he snapped and attempted to walk away.  
  
"What did Trunks do?" she said walking in front of him.  
  
"You'll find out later. Don't you dare try to force it out of him! He will tell you later," Vegeta said and pushing her gently aside so he could continue his path. She didn't protest.  
  
"Why can't I have a normal family," He heard Bulma sigh as he walked out of the room.  
  
..........  
  
Trunk's was grateful that it wasn't Gohan that had answered the phone and was even happier to hear Pan's voice.  
  
"Were you sleeping?" he asked. He could hear her yawn.  
  
"Just taking a nap," she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night."  
  
He could feel himself blush. "I didn't know dad was going to barge in on us like that," he said.  
  
"I know. Is he going to tell anyone?" she asked. "I don't think I am ready to tell dad yet. I mean, he got upset when he found out about the lunches were having together and we were not even an item then."  
  
Trunk's sighed. "Well, we have to tell him tonight or else he will be telling him. I would rather see it coming."  
  
"Tonight!" She sounded stunned. "I can't tell tonight!"  
  
"Would you rather have Vegeta tell him that his son is sleeping with his little girl! You won't be able to find a piece of me!" Trunks said a little to harshly for his liking. It wasn't her fault that dad barged in on them and upset the whole peace that they were having in their relationship.  
  
She sighed heavily.  
  
"I am sorry Pan. When should I come over? When do you think is the best time?"  
  
She sighed again. "As soon as you can."  
  
"I'll make sure Goten comes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He already knows."  
  
He had to pull the phone away from his ear as she yelled at him. "Why did you tell him!"  
  
"I didn't tell him. Benot knew."  
  
"Benot!" She yelled. "How the hell did he know!"  
  
"His room is right next to mine."  
  
She was silent at that.  
  
"What did Goten say?"  
  
"He promised to help us control Gohan in cause he blew up," he said.  
  
She made a relieved sound. "He didn't get mad."  
  
"A little," he said. He didn't want to tell her that he had to throw in how he used to be fascinated by his little sister to get him to realize that it wasn't a bad thing. "More that I kept it a secret."  
  
She was silent on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Pan? Your not regretting this are you now?" He said and felt his heart beat quicker as he asked the question.  
  
"No." Her voice was slow in responding. "I just wish it was easier."  
  
..........  
  
Junior looked down at his sister as she slept on the couch. Legen had left a while ago to go play with Fry. He had covered her with a blanket.  
  
He could tell that something was bothering her in her sleep. Her brow was furrowed and her teeth were clenched solidly together.  
  
"Sis?" he said and gently shook her shoulder. "Sis?"  
  
She slowly opened her eyes. She blinked them a few times. "What?" She looked angry that he had woken her.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine," she whispered and sat up and yawned. She was still in her training clothes.  
  
"You were up awful early this morning," he said.  
  
"Get to the point," she said sharply.  
  
"Have you been sleeping at night at all," he said. He had been suspicious that she wasn't sleeping properly at all. The nightmares were taking over her nights again, just like when she got home from the hospital, still weak and confused and angry. She had been defiantly more angry than anything else.   
  
She didn't answer him right away. She sighed deeply and looked away from him, "You would think after such a long time, that they would have lost their edge."  
  
"Is that why you were up so early? Did you sleep at all."  
  
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it!" she said and started to undo her braided hair. "I can handle it."  
  
"You were watching cartoons!" he said.  
  
"Legen asked me too."  
  
She did have a weakness for Legen. She would buckle under for just about anything that he asked for. She was a little harder on Benot. He knew it was because she saw Brennen in him.  
  
She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. She leaned back into the couch and sat silently.  
  
"Why can't you tell me about your dreams?" He asked. She had never once told him what she dreamed of, not once. He thought that she might have told Vegeta a few details. He was sure of that, but she didn't tell him anything. And he was her brother!  
  
She still didn't answer.  
  
"I was there too you know. I told you of the nightmares that I had. I told you everything and you still keep secrets from me!" he said. He was getting himself upset. He couldn't help it. Goten was keeping something from him, yet again, and his sister was forever keeping things to herself. "I am not a boy anymore. I went through some of the same pains as you did. Out of anyone, I can understand what you went through."  
  
She looked at him, with sad green eyes.  
  
"Tell me something about those nightmares that keep you from sleeping at night and training all day!"  
  
"I have to get ready for the tournament," she said in a whisper. She looked away from him again.  
  
That stupid tournament! It was all that everyone was talking about! It is what everyone was training for!  
  
Pan was talking about entering to pay off her tuition. Goten was entering in hopes of proving that he wasn't a wimp and the prize money for his great business of a gym idea. He had even talked to Marron and she was entering. He couldn't believe it when she told him that. He didn't know if Ubu was entering. He thought Marron would have known, but she said she wasn't talking to him right at this moment. He would understand if Vegeta entered just for the kicks of it all. But his sister... "Why are you so determined to enter the tournament? We don't need the money! Why would you work yourself so hard for a stupid tournament?"  
  
She looked right at him. "Are you blind?"  
  
He took off his glasses to show his cloudy eyes. "Yeah! Nearly! Now enlighten me!"  
  
She looked shocked for a second.  
  
"Everyone is leaving me in the dark."  
  
She blinked. "Did you read the brochure?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Didn't it seem odd to you?" she said.  
  
"No."  
  
"Read it again." She stood and stretched and started to walk away.  
  
"Is that all your going to say to me!" he said after her.  
  
"It is all that I should have to say," she said and left the room.  
  
He really wished his sister wasn't so stubborn!  
  
..........  
  
Goten looked at his nervous friend. He was almost shaking.  
  
"You knew you were going to have to tell Gohan eventually," he said.  
  
"We didn't plan on telling him for another month or so," he said. "I thought we would both be ready then."  
  
"We'll, you guys should have gone to a hotel room instead of your bedroom," Goten said. "That is screaming to get caught and if Benot knew...I am surprised that little twerp hasn't told anyone else."  
  
Trunk's eyes grew wide for a second. "Do you think he could have?"  
  
"No. I would have heard about you and my niece a long time ago then, don't you think," Goten said and then put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Come one, let's go tell Gohan."  
  
"About time."  
  
They both looked over to see Soyna entering the room. She was rolling her shoulders as if she was trying to loosen them up.  
  
"About time for what?" Trunk's said. He was obviously hoping that she hadn't heard the rest of the conversation. He didn't want to tell her yet.  
  
Goten was kind of curious to what her reaction was going to be to this whole thing.  
  
"That you are telling Gohan about your little rendezvous," she said walking forward and yawning loudly.  
  
They both looked at her in shock.  
  
"How did you know?" Trunk's voice was but a whisper of what it once was.  
  
"Benot can't keep secrets from me. I am his mother," she said and simply walked up to them. "At least you won't have to sneak around any more. Benot was complaining about the noises coming from your room one night and came to sleep with me."  
  
Trunks blushed.  
  
She blinked. "Hopefully, Gohan, won't hurt you to badly." She kept walking past them and disappeared into the house.  
  
"I guess, we didn't keep it that good of a secret, huh?" Trunks said.  
  
Goten shook his head. "Well, Let's go and face the music."  
  
  
..........  
  
  
A/N I know, I know, I am evil... The confrontation is yet to come... I couldn't resist making the cliffhanger lasting a little longer...  
  
How will Gohan react?  
Will Trunks live through it?  
Will Goten keep his promise to Benot?  
What about this tournament?  
Why is Soyna acting weird about the tournament?  
  
Questions, questions, questions...  
  
  
Next Chapter... soon...  
  
Oh yeah.... Comments are always welcome. It helps me fine tune my story...  
  
Soyna  



	16. Telling

  
  
Here is the next chapter. The one that you have all been waiting for... when they tell Gohan...  
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
C-18  
  
The Telling  
  
.....  
  
Junior couldn't find his sister. He looked at the stupid flyer and just couldn't see what she saw there. He read it a million times, trying to understand why this tournament was so important to her.  
  
He couldn't see it.  
  
He knew the prize money was big. It was being held in the new stadium that was built a year ago. Nothing that should upset her there. It was a three day tournament. There were three categories; Men, Women and Children. No big deal over that one. He didn't see a damn thing that was unusual with the tournament flyer that would get her all upset.  
  
There was a list of sponsors a mile long on the back and none of them were anything unusual. The rules were no different than any other tournament. What the hell was so special about this tournament?  
  
He went to find his sister.  
  
He found her dozing on a chair in the kitchen with a cup of juice in her hand. She was extraordinarily tired. He could tell that from her early sleeping on the couch in the middle of the day, but this was getting ridiculous.  
  
He slammed his hands onto the table. She startled awake and looked at him with sleepy eyes.  
  
"I have examined this thing a million and half times, and I don't see why it is so important to you! What the hell is your problem lately!" He snapped.  
  
She just blinked at him.  
  
"This is just another stupid tournament and even though it is a lot of money it is not worth killing yourself over! You know that you are going to win, so what is the problem!" he yelled at her.  
  
She took a sip of the juice that she had nearly spilled. "I am going out for awhile. Make sure the boys get to bed at a decent time." She slowly stood as if her joints were hurting.  
  
"You are not taking off again!" He snapped. "Where the hell do you go?"  
  
She gave him such a chilling look. He could almost see anger in her eyes but there was more sadness there. She was hiding something from him and it was important.  
  
"Damn it! I am not ten years old anymore!" he snapped. "Will you quit treating me like I am your baby brother!"  
  
"You are my baby brother and that will never change," she said in a low voice. "I will be back by morning. Don't worry about me." Then she started to leave.  
  
He grabbed her arm. She gave him a shocked look. "I was hurt too!" It is all his anger would allow him to say.  
  
She removed his hand from her arm in a gentle way. "I know. I won't let it happen again. I won't be like before." Then she left.  
  
He felt like screaming and punching something. He had never been so frustrated by his sister in his life.  
  
"She'll come around."  
  
He turned to see Vegeta watching her go. He could see a bit of worry on his face. He felt the same way too. He could tell. They both worried about her more than anyone else. They both also knew that there was nothing they could do to change her.  
  
............  
  
Gohan felt numb at first.  
  
Pan was standing, chewing on her lip and staring at the floor.  
  
Trunk's was standing near and exit and looking as if he were ready to run at any minute.  
  
"How long?" His voice was weak. He sounded like he was a boy again.  
  
"A month," Pan said. "We didn't want to upset you daddy."  
  
Upset him? Don't want to do that, huh?  
  
He looked at Trunks. Vegeta's son. The man who was now courting his little girl. He didn't like that idea. He knew it was a bad idea to have their family become close friends. He knew that he shouldn't have anything to do with them anymore. It would have been better for everyone in the long run!  
  
"I won't do anything to hurt her," Trunks said.  
  
He didn't want to hear Trunks. His voice seemed to be the most annoying sound in the world right now.  
  
"So you weren't training for that tournament," he said looking at his daughter. "You were out gallivanting with him!" He pointed an accusing finger towards the Trunks.  
  
"Dad! I was training too!" she said. "I am still entering tournament!"  
  
"Don't you dare lie to me! You... You!" he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. After all the reassurance that she had given him that they were just friends and it was just lunch... it was something much more than that. She lied to him. She told him that they just talked. He didn't want to know how far it was beyond that. The thought angered him further.  
  
Goten had his hand on his arm. Trying to hold him back. He knew. He glared at his brother. Did he allow it? He didn't like the fact that he knew and he was left in the dark. Thinking that his little girl was just pushing herself to hard, when she was hiding the fact that she and Trunks were obviously more than just friends!  
  
He doubted that he had ever been so mad at his daughter. He never thought that he could be so angry with her!  
  
But then, he decided that it was safer to turn her anger to Trunks. It was all his fault. He was older and knew better! He had been with other girls! He had so many dates... and now he was going after his daughter! Was she just another challenge for him?  
  
Trunks took a step back as he looked at him.  
  
"Come on Gohan. Loosing your temper won't make the situation better," Goten said. Goten had let go of his arm and was rubbing his hands on his pants.  
  
He knew that he was powering up. He had to control his anger before he got carried away, but then looking at Trunks didn't make him feel better. He looked over to his daughter. She had walked towards him and was standing close to him now. She looked as if she was afraid to touch him. "Daddy. He makes me happy," she said in a low voice.  
  
Trunk's makes her happy?  
  
He looked back at the man that was courting his little girl. Never in his wildest dreams that he would think that Trunks would be interested in his little girl like that! But there he stood, his head hanging low and prepared to run. Just as he should be! He deserved to be frightened for making him so angry.  
  
"I love him," Pan said in a whisper as she put her hands on his arm. He just turned to glare at her. She loved him. Great. That made everything so so much better. He felt his stomach tie in knots.  
  
"Do you love her?" he growled at Trunks. He was much to old for her. Much too old. What was he thinking? She had to finish her schooling. He wanted so much more for his little girl than to be just a little house wife. Especially to Trunks. Trunk's may be a good man, but he was not the man for his little girl. His little girl needed a man with brains and smarts, not brawn. And the fact that he was Vegeta's son, was not any bonus points. He knew how at times, he acted like his father, and he didn't even realize it!  
  
Trunks nodded. "Very much so."  
  
He sounded sincere, but it still didn't make him feel any better.  
  
"Daddy. You can quit powering up now," Pan said as she was forced to pull away from him.  
  
Yeah, don't get Gohan mad. They should have thought of that before they professed their love to each other to him.  
  
"Gohan." Goten said. "Ease up. You're shaking the house."  
  
Indeed he was. He took a deep breath and looked at Trunks. He didn't power down but he stopped emitting the waves. A relieved look came on Trunks face.  
  
He then saw his daughter stand by Trunks and put her arm in his. He looked at them shocked. "I want you to be happy for me daddy. I found someone who understands me. Trunk's understands me. We can talk about anything together. I never had that before."  
  
Trunk's put his hand on his little girls hand and gave her a look that he didn't much like. He wasn't using her. That was a look that he still gave Videl when she wasn't looking. But it was directed towards Trunks and his child! His daughter!  
  
He closed his eyes for a minute and remembered Pan as a little tomboy that used to beat up on all the boys that teased her and preferred to play with the boys than the other little girls. She may have been friend's with Bra, but they didn't get close until almost after high school. She was the type of girl that he didn't worry about. He was glad that he didn't have to worry about her dating high school boys. He did worry a little bit about her dating college boys, but not as much. The last guy she brought home was not that bad.  
  
But why did the next one have to be Trunks?  
  
He thought about Trunks as a boy. He was always a smart and caring kid. Always full of play and he had always helped out in everything that they did. He had proved that he was strong and smart. A bit stubborn too. He was milder than the mix of his parents, but still a mix of his parents better parts. He had never done anything in the past to hurt his family, never mind Pan.  
  
He sighed deeply.  
  
Trunk's wasn't that bad of a choice, he guessed. It was just going to take him a little while to get used to it.  
  
He opened his eyes to see Benot, Legen and Fry in the room now. They looked pensive as they walked in the room.  
  
"Is it safe?" Benot said.  
  
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, it's safe," he said and felt himself calm down. He allowed his power level to drop. Everyone in the room seemed to sigh with relieve.  
  
"I am not to happy about it, but I am not going to stop you," he said. He knew that it sounded harsh yet. He was still upset that they hid it from him too.  
Pan grinned widely. Trunk's put his arm around her with a big grin.  
  
"Don't push it!" he snapped. "You do one thing to make her cry, and I will bury you."  
  
Trunks nodded with a tense look on his face.  
  
"Ha! You loose Fry! I get your TEKKEN game!" Benot announced.  
  
"Ah, man!" Fry moaned. "I love that game."  
  
"Hey! I like that game too," Goten said. "Why do you have to give it to Benot?"  
  
Benot beamed, "Well, Fry said that Gohan was going to beat the hell out of Trunks when he found out that Pan was sleeping with Trunks. I said that he wouldn't."  
  
Both Pan and Trunks blanched.  
  
Gohan's eyes narrowed. "Sleeping... Together." They were sleeping together? He just got over the fact that she wanted to see him on a personal level and then he hears from Benot that they were already sleeping together!  
  
Trunks and Pan pulled quickly apart.  
  
"Daddy," Pan said. "I..."  
  
Gohan didn't hear anything else in the room. He was concentrating on Trunks. He had been sleeping with his little girl. It was bad enough that they were hiding it from him, but they were also sleeping together! And how did the boys know this and he couldn't see it?  
  
Trunk's was already backing out of the room.  
  
Gohan let his anger rise and consume him. Something that he had not done in a long time.  
  
.........  
  
Goten slapped the back of Benot's head.  
  
"Idiot! Why did you have to say that?" he said. "Look what you have done!"  
  
"I get your NASCAR game!" Fry said happily. "Told you dad was going to get mad. Trunks will be lucky if he lives through this. I told you my dad would get mad."  
  
Benot rubbed his head. "Well, that is what I thought they were telling him! How was I supposed to know it was supposed to be a secret. I mean, it wasn't like they were quiet or anything."  
  
They looked at the now empty kitchen. Trunk's had fled with Gohan on his heals and Pan following soon after.  
  
"Let's go watch the fire works," Legen said. "This should be a good fight."  
  
Goten shook his head and followed. He guessed that he should stop his brother from killing his friend. That was, if he could stop his brother.  
  
............  
  
Vegeta had expected the fight to start awhile ago. He wondered what caused Gohan to loose his temper after calming down. He had felt Gohan's anger rise and then fall again. He had been a little disappointed that he wasn't going to see a fight.  
  
Then he felt Gohan's power surge and so did his sons.  
  
He saw them fighting and his son was holding his own, actually quite well. If only he trained, he wouldn't have to look so frightened.  
  
He settled beside the boys and Goten who were watching the quarrel.  
  
"Boy, I didn't think that Trunks could be so fast," Benot said as he looked up.  
  
"I knew dad could get mad, but I don't think I have ever seen his this mad before," Fry said. "Wow. Dad is really strong. I didn't think he was that strong. I hardly ever get to see him fight."  
  
Legen said, in his usual worried voice. "I hope they don't kill each other."  
  
Vegeta tuned them out and looked back up at the fight. Pan was near by trying to yell at her father to stop it. Killing him, won't make her feel any different that she does now.  
  
Gohan reply: It will make me feel better for having him take advantage of you.  
  
Vegeta watched. He had no intention of breaking into the fight. His son had to sleep with Gohan's daughter. He had to learn the consequences of his actions. He was quite sure that Pan was a very willing partner, but it was always the guy's fault anyway.  
  
"We need some popcorn," he heard Benot said. "We should be taping this."  
  
"The camera's broken," Fry said.  
  
"Since when?" Benot countered.  
  
"Since you decided to try to get those pictures of those bats last weekend. Remember," Legen said.  
  
"Oh yeah." Benot said.  
  
Vegeta really didn't want to know what trouble the boys were getting into at times. He thought Trunks and Goten were bad as kids. They had nothing on the three terrors.  
  
Trunks managed a good strong hit on Gohan. It looked like it even surprised him. But Gohan retaliated quickly by sending him into a near by tree, causing it to splinter and Trunks to fall to the ground with a rather sickening thump.  
  
Pan then stood in between Gohan and Trunks.  
  
Gohan didn't look like he planned on attacking anymore.  
  
Vegeta frowned. His son was getting off easy for such a feat. If that had been Goten and his daughter was on the line, well, he would be dead. He looked at Goten who was frowning also. He didn't have to worry about that problem.  
  
"Pan!" Gohan said in a stern voice.  
  
"Dad! Quit acting like a child!" she yelled at him. "Killing him won't solve anything! Hurting him won't solve anything, even if it makes you feel better. So are you done with this stupid fight!"  
  
Gohan floated to the ground and was powering down.  
  
Damn, Vegeta was hoping for more a fight.  
  
"For now," Gohan said and then walked back into the house.  
  
Trunks shook himself and got to his feet. Pan rushed to him and helped him up and asked him if he was okay.  
  
How disappointing. Not even a black eye. He would take care of that later.  
  
"Is that all!" Benot said. "There is like, no blood or broken bones or anything. I lost my NASCAR game and it was such a lame fight."  
  
Goten hit Benot in the back of the head again. "You are such a twit!"  
  
"Wimp!" Benot said.  
  
"Do you want to learn to fly? I can change my mind, you know," Goten said.  
  
"You promised! I'll tell mom on you!" Benot said.  
  
"Yeah, you promised," Legen said.  
  
"You better be nice to me for a change and stop calling me a wimp!" Goten said. He started to walk towards Pan and Trunks.  
  
Benot muttered under his breath, "wimp."  
  
Legen slapped him this time.  
  
Vegeta shook his head.  
  
Everyone was acting like children today.  
  
  
................  
  
  
Well... They told him. Lame or not, do you think the conflict is over? (insert evil laugh here) I know I can be evil.  
  
Don't know about the next chapter... but it will be soon. My dear hungry reader's I am seriously considering a side story that was suggested... The how-they-got together and why they tried to keep in a secret. (Trunks and Pan that is) This story is long enough without all those mushy and higher rating details. Not that I mind those things, but ... there is still a chance for such higher rating details to be entered in this one. (insert more evil laughter here)  
  
I know there will be more talk of the tournament. More talk of Krad. More of Trunks and Pan. More of Gohan and Trunks little disagreement... and more of Soyna being Soyna.... More of the evil little Benot...(I sure turned him into a trouble maker didn't I) and of course, we can not forget about Goten being Goten and Junior getting miffed at Soyna and Vegeta sticking his nose into things.  
  
Well... Got to go start working on the next part. Review me. I really do like reviews! It puts a smile on my face...  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  
  



	17. Finding Soyna

  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C-19 -- Finding Soyna  
  
  
  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Junior looked tired and worried as he sat down at his desk. He was wearing his darker glasses. He mustn't have had much sleep. He looked grimmer than usual.  
  
He pulled out the tournament pamphlet and handed it to him. "Why is this things so important to her? Can you tell me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Soyna took off yesterday, before the big blow out between Trunks and Gohan, and she said that she would be back in the morning." He sighed and looked the shiny piece of paper. "I argued with her over this tournament and she took off. She wasn't back this morning. Then, to top things off, Legen says that she will be back soon. Don't worry about it uncle. She just has gone to her thinking place."  
  
"She has gone there a few times, huh?" Goten said, not knowing how to comfort him in this. He wondered himself where she went.  
  
"She took Legen there once!" He said. "She won't even tell me where she is going and she took Legen there!"  
  
Boy, was he ever upset. "I am sure she has her reasons."  
  
"Why can't she tell me them?" he said and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "I lost everything too. She shouldn't have to go through this alone. She has everyone here now. She doesn't even to seem to realize it."  
  
"Hey, she is just a loner. She has a lot to think about. She has the boys to worry about. She..." He stopped as Junior looked away from him.  
  
"I know that! I lived through it too. I was there when Dad died. I was there when her husband died. I was there when Krad betrayed us. I was there!" he whispered. "And she can't even talk to me about it."  
  
Goten just looked at his upset friends. "Well, if she is not back by the time school is out, we will go hunting for her."  
  
Junior shook his head. "I have tried looking for her before. She is very adept and hiding from Vegeta and me. When she doesn't want to be found, you can't find her. If you try to follow her, she will loose you."  
  
"She can't be that good at it," Goten said.  
  
"She is," he said as the buzzard went for class to start.  
  
..........  
  
Gym class was interesting. He had never seen Junior so aggressive. He even plowed into the new kid while they were playing floor hockey and sent him flying into the wall.  
  
"I know you're mad at your sister, but man, you don't have to kill the new kid," Goten said as he grabbed his friends arm.  
  
"Sorry," Junior said and went to help the new kid get to his feet. He was a little shaky in doing so. "I am having a bad day. You aren't my target."  
  
He just looked at him and shook his head. "It's alright. You just shocked me."  
He was holding his arm as he said this. He looked very uncomfortable talking to him.  
  
They hadn't paid much attention to the new kid, just another person with a family that moves around a lot. No big deal. The girls sure liked him, for he was a rather handsome looking boy with hair so blonde that it was almost white and very dark eyes, slender and tall.  
  
The girls that used to ask him out and he would refuse, were now hovering around the new kid, which was fine by him. He had to find a girl his own age, someone that could relate to him, not a kid.  
  
He had to admit that he did miss that attention a little bit but didn't hold a grudge against the new kid.  
  
"Is your arm okay?" Goten asked. "It looks a little swollen."  
  
Junior grimaced. "I hope I didn't break it. I am really sorry. I just was thinking of something else when I hit you."  
  
"No. It's fine," the kid said and flexed it. "Just a little bruised that's all." He gave a big smile. "Nothing to worry about. I'll just make sure that I don't get in the way of your next check."  
  
They laughed at this and the new kid walked away.  
  
"You really got to be careful. If you want to get some tension out, we'll go spar after school," Goten said. "You could have really hurt him."  
  
"I just need to find my sister and make sure that she doesn't try to destroy herself." He said.  
  
The teacher blew the whistle to announce that it was time to hit the showers.  
  
............  
  
Vegeta tried looking for her throughout the day. She was hiding and hiding well. He hated it when she did this. He really did. Why couldn't he find her? He really hated it when she did this. He should be able to track her down so easily, but she knew how to evade him all too well for his liking.  
  
............  
  
It had been an hour that he had been looking for her. They were supposed to be sparing tonight anyway. Junior was too worried about her, as he was, they weren't getting anywhere in their studies.  
  
Junior was searching North. He was searching South. He really didn't think he would find her, but it made Junior feel better.  
  
He was about to give up when he thought he felt her.  
  
He stopped and looked around at the forest and stream that was below him.  
  
The feeling was gone. It had been brief but it was definitely Soyna. The hours that they spent sparing together, he was used to her fluctuations in her ki. He sometimes used them to feel what attack she was going to do next. Sometimes that was the only way he could 'see' her.  
  
He started to move slowly and then he felt it again.  
  
Yep. It was definitely her. He lowered himself into the forest. He had lost that feeling again. He found himself a path and walked along it slowly hoping to feel that twinge again.  
  
But soon, he found himself lost in thought that he had not allowed himself to think of for a little while, thoughts of his father. He used to love spending time in the woods, hunting and fishing. He didn't get to do that much with his father. Gohan got to spend more time with dad than he ever did, but then, things were different with Gohan.  
  
Dad.  
  
He really missed him. He had kept himself so busy that he did not allow himself to think of him. It hurt knowing that the left them. He knew the reasons were good, but it still hurt. He never had his dad for very long.  
  
Then he felt her again. He walked towards the stream and started to follow it.  
  
Dad loved to swim and fish more than anything. He had enjoyed the few times that he had gone with his father. Gohan talked about how they would do it almost every day when they were living in the woods, before they moved into the city, so Gohan could go to a proper school.  
  
Damn, everything was so long ago. Why did it feel like yesterday?  
  
He then stopped. There was a little clearing that was really quite beautiful and it seemed to be filled with the sweet smell of flowers that were coming from the blooms of the apple tree above him. The way the sun filtered through the leaves, it was a very lovely little clearing.  
  
He was startled to see Soyna huddled under one of the big apple trees. He forgot how small she was. Her hair was undone and fell over her face and her forehead was resting on her knees. She looked, well, fragile. He felt odd thinking that. After all, he still had not been able to beat her in a single sparing match, or even get the upper hand.  
  
"Soyna?"  
  
She looked up startled. He could see that there were tears on her cheeks. She quickly turned away from him and wiped them off. "How did you find me here?" He heard her sniffle.  
  
He shrugged. "Just did," he said and walked towards her. "Are you crying?"  
  
She kept her back to him. "No." She said coldly. "I want to be alone. Leave."  
  
He couldn't do that. "Junior is worried about you," he said.  
  
"Tell him that I am fine. Leave already!" she snapped. She turned towards him now. She wasn't looking so small and fragile anymore, but he could see the tearstains that had fallen down her cheeks. He didn't think she was capable of tears.  
  
"You were crying," he said and walked towards her.  
  
"I said GO AWAY!" She yelled. The trees shook and some of the blossoms started to fall from the trees.  
  
"Nope, not that easy to scare off. I am not Trunks or Vegeta who walk away from you. You have Junior worried all day about you. He nearly killed the new kid in floor hockey because he was so angry," he said.  
  
She looked like she was getting angry.  
  
He wasn't going to back down. He didn't have anything to loose.  
  
She stood there, looking at him angrily. She wiped her sleeves across her cheeks trying to get rid of the evidence that she has feelings other than contempt and anger.  
  
He knew better.  
  
"I should take you home. I am sure your boys are worried about you too," he said.  
  
"How did you find me here?" She said, restraining the anger in her voice.  
  
Boy, did she have a one-track mind. "I just felt you." He shrugged and moved closer to her. The white pedals that were falling in her hair made her look, well, like a woman. She hardly ever really looked all that feminine before or maybe he just didn't think of her that way. After all, she was still wearing her baggy training clothes but somehow, in this little bit of the forest, it looked really good on her. Maybe it was just the play of the shadows from the leaves.  
  
She stood her ground and her eyes narrowed. "I want to be alone!"  
  
"Why? What good does brooding by yourself do?" he said.  
  
She stood silent. Her eyes were sparkling as if she was about to cry again. She clenched her teeth and hands and was trying to look angry but her eyes didn't look mad. She didn't have the control that she had before. The control that she had when she was back in the house with all her family around.  
  
"It is okay to cry," he said and then added. "Even for us warrior types. We all have suffered losses, and before you start yelling at me, I know you have lost more than I have. I just lost my father. You lost your husband and father and your home, but at least you do have your brother and you have a two great boys."  
  
Her hands unclenched.  
  
"Well," he said as her remembered how much of a troublemaker Benot could be, "You have one great boy and one hell of a trouble maker."  
  
Her lips twitched briefly in a smile and then she went back to her stern look as before. "I still want to be alone."  
  
"I won't let you," he said.  
  
She didn't like that alternative.  
  
"I don't want you near me!" she yelled causing more of the blooms to fall.  
  
"If you keep yelling like that all the blossoms are going to come off the trees." He said sternly. "Plus. We are supposed to train today. I am not letting you off that easy. I am catching up to you and I am not going to fall behind before this tournament comes."  
  
She gave out a low growl, as her eyes seemed to fill up with water again. He approached her. "Why are you crying?" He said in a gentle voice. He wondered what could be bothering her so much that she was crying. "Does it have to do with Trunks and Pan finding each other?"  
  
"No. I could care less about that," she hissed and took a step back from him. "Why would I care about their love lives?"  
  
"Well, you know, with Trunks, sort of, being, you know, like, your father and all... and Pan, not being your mother...I thought that maybe, you could be a little upset over that," he said. He felt real uncomfortable saying that. He knew that talking of her past, was a really touchy subject with her, especially anything to do with her father.  
  
She shook her head. "Why would I be? My mother is all of 10 years old in this time. My mother didn't meet my father until she was nearly 30. I very much doubt that the relationship would work in this time."  
  
He blinked at that revelation. That was even a bigger age gap that Trunks and Pan have.  
  
"Dad always liked the younger girls," she said. "It was not that much of a surprise to me, when Benot told me the news."  
  
Goten rubbed his head. "You aren't bothered that Trunks won't meet your mother?"  
  
"No. She wouldn't be the same woman that I used to know. That would be much harder to accept than him with Pan." She said. "Now, will you go away!"  
  
"Nope. I am going to bug you until you tell my why you were crying?" he said and took another step towards her.  
  
The threat of tears was gone from her eyes now. She wasn't too mad yet. He knew that look, but she was not happy, that was for certain. "Why the hell should I tell you!"  
  
"Because I asked," he said.  
  
"That is not a good enough reason! Will you just leave me alone! Everyone else leaves me alone, why can't you!" she snapped. She was standing her ground now. Looking as if she were ready to lunge at him at any second.  
  
He knew that she was faster than he was when she wanted to be. He knew that she was a tricky fighter, but he was not going to let her run out of this one. He knew that if he got the right hold on her, he could hold her for awhile before she wriggled out on him. He hoped that this would not come to that.  
  
He stood there and looked at her for awhile as the birds started to chirp in the trees again and the wind gently blew the fallen blossoms on to the water of the slow moving stream.  
  
Her stance loosened a bit.  
  
"I can be as stubborn as you are," he said and then seated himself and looked up at her. "I don't have any plans and my homework can wait. It is not like Junior can help me understand it when he is so worried about you."  
  
She blinked a few times and gave him a confused look. "Why do you care?"  
  
"I just do," he said.  
  
She unclenched her hand and sat back down also.  
  
"Are you going to tell me why you come here?" He said. "It is a very beautiful spot."  
  
She looked down at her lap. Her hair hid her face, he couldn't tell if she had tears in her eyes or not. She sat in silence as he waited for an answer. He was actually kind of surprised that she just didn't turn tail and leave. She always did that when Junior was mad at her and especially when Vegeta was.  
  
Speaking of her tail, he could see that it was not unraveled from her waist and was swaying gently behind her. The sight of her tail always amazed him. She hardly ever showed it. It was always so well hidden.  
  
"This reminds me of home," she said in a soft whisper. "I come here to think of the good things and forget the nightmares that keep me up at night."  
  
Soyna has nightmares? He didn't think anything could phase her. She was such a confident person.  
  
Her fingers started to draw pictures in the dirt. "I know it is gone, but I still miss it. I still wish to return to it, even though it is nothing like it once was or the wonders of this place. It is my home. I never feel as if I belong here. I always feel as if I am an outcast."  
  
He looked at her as she drew a bunch of intricate circles in the soft soil, around some fallen blossoms.   
  
"Why this place?"  
  
She looked up briefly and in a small soft voice that he had never heard from her before, "My mother and father were buried in this spot in the other time. I can feel a little bit of them when I am here. I feel as if I can talk to them and they can guide me."  
  
He was shocked at the revelation. Soyna was missing her parents!  
  
"Don't give me that stupid look of yours!" she said with her usual disdain. "You asked why I came to this place. You asked why and that is the reason for it. Now you know!"  
  
"Why don't you tell Junior that you come here?"  
  
"He didn't have the same connection that I had with our parents. He didn't understand why I had to bury my father here when he died. He didn't... I was there when he breathed his last breath and it nearly killed me. I think that was the only reason that he went along with me burying him here!"  
  
He heard her voice crack and he saw that she was hiding her face again.  
  
He shuffled close to her. "It's okay to miss them." He said. "I know how hard it is to loose a parent. I don't know what I would do, if I lost my mother too."  
  
She still didn't look up.  
  
"I probably would be as lost as you are. We all need our anchors and yours is gone," he said. He wanted to reach out to her, but he didn't think that she would accept it. She didn't look like she wanted to be hugged.  
  
"It's getting late," he said.  
  
"I know. She looked at the setting sun. I guess I should go feed my boys." She said with a sigh. "They really don't like their Oma's cooking."  
  
"Why don't we go home." He was getting hungry himself. "I will even take you, Legen and Benot out for ice cream," he said. He emphasized the Benot. It was going to be hard to be nice to him, but then, if he wanted to learn how to fly, he was going to have to be nice to him.   
  
She raised her head, she shook it slightly and gave him a small smile.  
  
"I think I can afford to get some extra chocolate syrup on yours," he said. "Chocolate is supposed to make girls feel better, isn't it?"  
  
Her eyes turned dark for a second and he thought she was going to get mad at him. Then she just shook her head. He knew he shouldn't have added the last part. It was one of those wrong things to say.  
  
She stood and looked at him. "Well, are you going to sit in the dirt or are you coming?"  
  
He grinned as they flew off back to the Capsule Corporation compound.  
  
  
  
...........  
  
  
A/N  
  
Sticky sweet ending huh? Sappy? Well, I had to get it going. Soyna isn't that easy of a person to get to open up you know.  
  
Now you have read me, review me. Let me know that I have fans and that you are enjoying it.   
  
Soyna.  
  
  



	18. Dreams, Memories, and a Strange Battle

Well, here we go.. the next part of my tale.  
It seems that everyone is still enjoying it. Keep those review coming and I don't mind questions if you feel I need to clarify something. I mean, I know this story. I am writing it, there are things that I purposely leave out for later, but there are things that I probably thought that I wrote already...   
  
Keep reading! And I will KEEP WRITING!!!  
  
Oh, and I was watching a lot of anime recently, it is the only excuse for the end of my chapter.  
  
  
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
  
C-20 Dreams, Memories and a Strange Battle.  
  
  
He was back in that little piece of heaven that he found in the forest. She must have taken off again. He didn't remember how he got here but he didn't mind.  
  
Soyna was there, sitting on the soft soil, drawing pictures in the dirt with her fingers, moving around the blossoms.  
  
He called to her but she didn't respond. Surely she felt that he was here? Didn't she know that he was right in front of her?  
  
He sat down beside her and reached out to touch her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake, "Soyna, are you okay?"  
  
She turned to him and her eyes sparkled brightly at him. She wasn't crying though. The sparkle was something different. "Took you long enough," she whispered. Now, he knew that he had never heard such a sultry sound come out of her lips before.  
  
He felt her hand on his.  
  
He was shocked. He looked back at her sparkling eyes and how soft her face looked. Her other hand reached to his neck and tugged gently on the scarf, almost as if she was checking on the scar, to see if it was still there.  
  
He just sat there, frozen. Her touch was so warm and inviting. Was this the same Soyna? It was so surreal.  
  
He found himself leaning into her. He so wanted to kiss her right then! She didn't stop him as their lips touched. It was like electricity was going through his body. He was kissing her and she was letting him. He hesitantly pulled back and took a breath.  
  
She moved towards his ear and nibbled on it affectionately. He closed his eyes and allowed it. It felt so good and then...  
  
  
"...OW!" He pulled away from the sharp pain only to find himself back in his room. How the hell did he get here?  
  
"GET UP!" The loud voice of his nephew assaulted him. He was standing near the head of his bed.  
  
"What?" he said a little disorientated. Wasn't he in the forest with Soyna? Wasn't Soyna kissing him? "What the hell?"  
  
"Do I have to flick you again," Fry said as he made this middle finger and thumb into an offending weapon. "If you don't get up, you're going to be late. Grandma say so, so get up!"  
  
"That hurts you know!" He said rubbing his ear. He much rather liked the thought of Soyna nibbling on it. He really liked the dream that he was having and his nephew had to ruin it for him.  
  
"I know! Pan does it to me all the time. Grandma say's get up and you weren't listening to me. Pan wakes me up that way all the time," he said and then turned to leave the room.  
  
He rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was in his room. The dream was so vivid. So real... of course, Soyna wouldn't be interested him in that way. He rubbed his ear again. The kiss felt so real. How her hand tugged on the bandanna that he wore around his throat. It was all so real.  
  
It was just because he had seen her look so vulnerable for a change, which was why he was having such a disturbing, yet wonderful, dream. He never thought that she could cry. Hell, he didn't think she was capable of it. But she was, he saw the evidence on her cheeks that she tried to hide from him.  
  
He shook his head. He was just lonely, that was all. He hadn't had a real girlfriend in a long time and it was starting to take the toll on him, which was all it was. The only girl that he saw on any regular basis now, was Soyna and she hardly really talked to him. They usually went straight to sparing and she would beat him nearly every time. He was catching up. He was learning to control his strength with the poison that haunted his system.  
  
Maybe he had the dream because of Trunks and Pan? Probably. It wasn't so bad being single, when everyone around you is, but Trunks got himself a woman. So, Junior and himself were the only single guys left.  
  
"Goten!" He heard his mother yell from downstairs. "You DO not want to be late!"  
  
"I'm going to have a shower first!" he yelled back. Boy, did he need a shower and a cold one.  
  
............  
  
Soyna was doing the motherly thing this morning. Making sure that the boys were fed for breakfast and had enough food in their lunches. She listened to Benot complain about what a pain in the ass Goten was and how hard it was going to be to be nice to him, until he learned how to fly. She would just smile at him and pat his head.  
  
He liked his sister like this. She was not thinking of training or the past. He liked it when she concentrated on him and the boys. Like she used too. When fighting was not all that important in their lives. When it was just himself, Soyna, and dad.  
  
Soyna was always there for him. Making sure that he was playing with the right friends and that he wasn't getting into trouble. She was the one that made sure that he ate all his food and was at least attempting to read the books she told him too. Dad was always hiding in his lab with Grandma or off flying somewhere. He hated to admit that he never really knew his father.  
  
Soyna and him were best friends though. They would spar once a week at least, just to stay in shape. He never had a real desire to fight, like they did. He thought his father was disappointed in that, but he didn't voice it. It was just in the way he moved sometimes.  
  
"Junior?"  
  
He looked up to see his sister looking at him with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine." He said and moved some food around the plate.  
  
"If you don't want it uncle, I will. I am still hungry," Benot said.  
  
"How can you still be hungry! You stole my eggs!" Legen complained.  
  
"I only stole one and you took my toast!" Benot complained back.  
  
"Enough you two," Soyna said. They both sat down in their chairs and seethed at each other now. But they were silent. She seldom ever had to yell.  
  
She used to yell at dad though. Especially about him leaving on the trips that he would take. They used to get into big fights. It was easier to watch them, trying to pound each other into the ground that yell at each other. Those became common until she met Brennen and then she didn't have a reason to yell anymore. She wasn't alone.  
  
She didn't know that he had heard that last argument with Brennen.  
  
They were yelling at each other over what Brennen had done. He didn't like to remember that day. He didn't want to ever have to tell their boys that their father had made a big mistake. He had cried that he was sorry and that it would never happen again. But she had yelled at him with such ferocity that he could hear that there were tears coming down her face. Father had just died and she had found out about Brennen and another woman. It tore her apart. Especially since she was pregnant with his children.  
  
Krad was still their friend at this point and he came to her to comfort her in her anger.  
  
Then the messy stuff happened.  
  
Sometimes, he thought that she missed Brennen. Brennen had sacrificed himself to save them, when they were too weak to do anything but climb into the capsule. He was the one that punched the buttons and was dragged out as the lid closed. He didn't really know if she forgave him for that indiscretion of his, or if she was still mad about trusting Krad.  
  
She always talked highly of him to the boys, but he didn't know how she really felt about him.  
  
Soyna put a hand on his shoulder. "Stop thinking about that stuff. Only one of us needs to have those nightmares." Her voice was a whisper as she said this. She didn't want the boys to ever know about those times.  
  
How did she know?  
  
"Eat and go to school. Can you take the boys?" She said.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Soyna?" he said. "Did you sleep last night?"  
  
"Some," she said.  
  
"Mom! Benot is kicking me!" Legen yelled.  
  
"That was my juice!"  
  
"You weren't drinking it!"  
  
He looked at her. He can not ever remember her looking rested since they arrived here. She never relaxed, only by force and then, it just wasn't pleasant. It was usually because she was hurt so bad that she couldn't make herself to move. She just wouldn't rest, no matter how he begged her too. Did the nightmares haunt her that much? Did she relive those days every night? He hoped not. It wasn't her fault. It was just what Krad had planned and it ruined them all.  
  
"I was thirsty!"  
  
"Then fill your own glass!"  
  
"MOM!" Both yelled.  
  
Soyna silently filled up the two empty glasses. "Quit fighting," she said simply. She patted each of the boys on their heads to stop whatever they planned to yell at each other next. "I am thankful that I have you two in separate classes. I would hate to be called into your school every second day."  
  
He ate the rest of his breakfast and then struggled to get his nephews ready for school.  
  
............  
  
Vegeta waited until the noisy brats left the kitchen before he walked in. Soyna was sitting by herself.  
  
"You should really let me start training them. They are more than ready to start to learn," he said. Those two had enough aggression, just towards each other, that they would learn quickly.  
  
"I don't want them training," she said simply as she ate from her plate of fruit. "You know that well enough."  
  
"Benot has expressed interest," he said.  
  
"Benot gets in enough trouble," she said. She wasn't even looking at him.  
  
"But you will allow him to learn to fly?" He scoffed, "by that fool Goten."  
  
"Goten has no patience with Benot. They will end up feuding in no time and the lesson will be stopped quickly enough. Most likely with Benot being dropped from a rather ridiculous height, very much like you did to him." She said. "Are we training this morning, or have you come to just bug me about by boys and their lack of training?"  
  
He humped.  
  
Thee boys should have started training a long time ago. They would not reach their potential if they did not start training early. He knew that would not be as strong as their mother was. Their Saiyian blood was to thin for that, but he did not want them to be like weak humans. He did not want his bloodline to be like the other weak humans on the planet. It was bad enough that they were born without tails.  
  
He knew that she had started training a young age. She had told him. He thought her children should be training also. She just accused him of wanting someone that he could beat.  
  
"How much longer are you going to take eating," he growled at her.  
  
She shrugged. "Not much," she said. She was taking her time on purpose, trying to get him angry so that he couldn't concentrate on her when they were fighting. She had been doing that a lot lately. Finding ways to upset him in one way or another. The most upsetting was all the time that she spent training with Goten instead of him!  
  
............  
  
Goten felt the pressure of her arm on his throat. He couldn't shake her off of him. He was beginning to regret brushing off his studies to spar with her.  
  
"Come on!" she baited from her spot behind him.  
  
She was choking him but at the same time, he really didn't mind this new attack of hers. She was pressed right up against his back. One of her arm was pressed against his throat, cutting off his breath. The other was placed across his chest to hold her place securely there. Her chin was on his shoulder and he could feel her breath on his neck.  
  
Thought of that dream came back to him and it was hard to concentrate on what to do. Breathing was getting harder, but at the same time, he didn't mind the feeling of Soyna trying to hang on as they flew violently around the yard. He tried to bash her off, but she would flip him around so that he would get the brunt of the hit.  
  
"Give in," she whispered into his ear.  
  
Her closeness was driving him nuts. Why did she have to do this today of all days? The day that he woke up from that dream.  
  
"Never," he growled back as he tried to get his fingers around her arm that had his throat. It wasn't working.  
  
"I've got you. Give in!" She said, her breath against his throat.   
  
Didn't she know how maddening that was?  
  
"No!" he said and tried to push her into a near by tree, only to have her twist him around and he ended up slamming his shoulder into it. She was still choking him.  
  
Her grip increased on his throat. He was really having trouble breathing now.  
  
"Give in!" She said.  
  
He allowed himself to stand and he tried to grab a hold of a leg that gave briefly into view, but she quickly whipped it out of his grasp.  
  
"You're teasing," he gasped.  
  
She laughed.  
  
He fell to his knees. He had to get her off of him before he went mad! Her breath on his throat was driving him nuts. He didn't care that she was choking him and that his vision was starting to go blurry around the edges. Her breath on his throat was going to send him over the edge!  
  
"Give!" she said sharply into his ear.  
  
"NO!" he yelled and tried to gather his energy to throw her off.  
  
Her grip didn't even loosen!  
  
He blinked. He had to get her off of him!  
  
"Give!" she said.  
  
He grunted and allowed his arms to relax at his side.  
  
"Goten?" she said.  
  
"No," he whispered. His vision area was now smaller. It was getting blurry. He had to think of something quick.  
  
"I can't loose to you all the time," he gasped.  
  
"I thought you would be used to it by now." She teased. Her voice was so soft and almost gentle sounding if the content of the words weren't so harsh.  
  
He reached back for her. His fingers felt the cloth of a shirt for a second but it was fleeting.  
  
"I don't like loosing," he whispered. His chest felt like it was burning. Boy, did she ever have one hell of a grip! Her hand moved across his chest, getting a firmer grip.  
  
"Nobody does," she said. "Give."  
  
He shook his head. He became aware of how she moved slightly to get out of the way of his long hair. It was just enough.  
  
He moved his arm back and got a good fist full of her shirt and with his full strength, he meant to throw her off of him.  
  
He heard the ripping sound, and then her arm released him.  
  
He turned around and took a couple of deep breaths and then his vision returned to normal.  
  
Then he saw that he was holding the tattered remains of what was once Soyna's shirt.  
  
He looked over to her.  
  
She was crouched with her knees to her chest and her face crimson red. "Give my back my shirt you freak!" She snapped. She reached out one hand to him, prompting him to throw it over at him.  
  
He smirked. "Come and get it!" He finally had an advantage!  
  
"That's not fair!" she glared at him. Her eyes were so full of fury and embarrassment. It was almost cute.  
  
"Then give," he teased. He rubbed his throat. It felt good to breathe.  
  
"No!" She snapped. "Give me back my shirt!"  
  
He could see the black straps to a bra on her shoulders. He wondered what type of bra that she wore for training. He smirked at the thought. He knew that she would probably kill him for having those thought. Hell, she would probably kill him for having the dream that he woke up to this morning.  
  
He took a step back. "I am not giving it back, unless you give." He waved the shirt, taunting her. It felt good to have the advantage for a change.  
  
She was getting madder at him. He could tell. "That was a cheap move!" Her voice was harsh and bitter.  
  
"It worked didn't it! I was about to black out you know!" he yelled at her.  
  
"That was the whole point!" She yelled back. "I would have let go once you gave in."  
  
"I have never given into you before, why do you think I would now," He snapped.  
  
"Because I always won!" she said. "Now, give me back my shirt!"  
  
"Come and get it!"  
  
Her eyes narrowed at him. They were sparkling and they just looked amazing, but he could also see that she was planning something. What was she thinking?  
  
"You asked for it!" she snarled.  
  
Then she lunged at him.  
  
He didn't really expect her to lunge at him, especially sans shirt! It was too bad that she was moving so quick.  
  
He darted back, and put the shirt behind his back, but he saw too late to see that the shirt was not her real target.  
  
It was his Gi.  
  
He stood their stunned only in his boxer shorts, while she stood a few meters away waving his Gi at him. She had one arm covering her chest, but now, he could see that there was lace on that bra and see that she did have nice cleavage. He chest was moving quickly with anger. Man. He was totally amazed at how she looked. When did she get so beautiful?  
  
"Give me my shirt back." She said.  
  
"My Gi!" He was still stunned that she would do such a thing! He didn't even bother trying to cover himself up.  
  
"My shirt!"  
  
They stared at each other for a bit, each with pink cheeks and making only fleeting looks at each other.  
  
"Draw then," he heard her whisper.  
  
He nodded, "Draw."  
  
"AH!"  
  
They both turned to see Benot staring at them. He then turned and ran into the house. "OMA! VEGETA! Mom and Goten are sparing naked in the yard! Are they allowed to do that?"  
  
His Gi was thrown back in his face and her shirt was ripped from his hands and she ran in after her son.  
  
He stood there like an idiot.  
  
............  
  
A/N  
There were go.  
  
Will they get together? The big question, what will Vegeta do about them 'sparring naked'? Oh...Goten could be in for a lot of pain.  
  
The next chapter with have more T/P for those of you who are curious...   
  
Anyway. Keep the comments coming... Everyone likes to have their ego stroked... (**purr**)   
  
  
Soyna  
  



	19. A vague Chapter

  
  
  
  
  
It Never Ends  
  
C-21  
  
  
A Very Vague Chapter  
  
  
  
  
It had been so long since he had spent any time with Pan. It felt like forever.  
  
They had planned on going to a movie, but she looked so tired that he ran to the video store to rent some and by the time that he got back, she was asleep on the couch.  
  
He woke her gently.  
  
"I am sorry Trunks. I have been just so tired lately," she yawned as he sat beside her on the couch and nuzzled against his chest. "At least there is nobody home yet," she said in a gentle voice.  
  
"It's okay. We can order in too," he said. He didn't mind, as long as he was able to spend some time with her without Gohan looking at him as if he were still walking a thin wire. Sometimes he felt that Gohan was just waiting for his next chance to attack and he hardly even dare touch her in his presence.  
  
She giggled slightly and reached up to his face. He pulled away as she touched his black eye. The one his father gave him. "You got off so easy. I thought I would be going to your funeral." She said.  
  
"Don't remind me," he said.  
  
She laughed. "They wouldn't kill you over it. Dad, just won't be happy at you for a long while. That's all."  
  
"We don't need to talk about that," he said. "Why are you so tired? Is school picking up? You haven't said if you are training or not?"  
  
"School isn't bad. I picked up my training but I can't seem to get to my old pace," she yawned. "I didn't think that week off would hurt so much. You have been busy at work. Most of the calls I get from you are from there."  
  
"Labor problems in one of the plants and we have to ratify a new contract or something," he said. "Really boring and really long."  
  
She put her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He had waited to feel her close to him for so long, if only he had locked his bedroom door. Not like it would really make a difference, with his father, but still, maybe he would have walked away from the door. Yeah, right. He hadn't been with her since that day and he was starting to get used to having her in his bed and didn't even mind her sneaking out early in the morning. Of course, she couldn't do that now, with Gohan breathing down his neck.  
  
"Put in a movie," she said.  
  
"You have to get off of me."  
  
She moved off of him and he went to go put in one of the movies he rented.  
  
He heard a loud bang of a door closing and someone walking in the house. Great, now he will have to sit across the room from Pan and just dream of the times when he was allowed to sit next to her. He was hoping to have at least a couple of hours in which he and Pan could be alone together. He guessed that wasn't going to happen for awhile.  
  
He looked to see who it was. He hoped it wasn't Gohan.  
  
To his surprise it was Goten, a half-naked Goten. "What the hell?" he said.  
  
Pan looked and gave a shriek. "What the hell are you doing running around in your underwear?"  
  
Goten blushed furiously and held up a tattered cloth that resembled his training gi, as if it were to cover his modesty.  
  
"I was hoping that no one was going to be home," he said.  
  
"Why are you naked!" Pan snapped from the couch.  
  
He definitely was curious as to why his evening with Pan was being ruined so quickly. He was always training with Soyna now, or studying with Junior over at his house. What was he doing home so early?  
  
"I didn't mean to tear her shirt off!" Goten blurted. "I had to get her off my back somehow. She got me in a headlock and I couldn't budge her! I didn't mean to tear her shirt off! When I reached back, I meant to throw her off of me, but her shirt came off instead. I was about to black out! I didn't know her shirt would tear off so easily! Then she tore off my Gi, when I wouldn't give it back and then Benot came out of the house and then Vegeta came out after me and..."  
  
"Breathe Goten. Take a Breath." Pan said with a smile. She looked like she was restraining herself from laughing.  
  
Trunks shook his head at his friend. What has he got himself into? He thought he was dead, when he was found with Pan, but at least, he only had to deal with Gohan. His dad wasn't really mad at him, just disappointed. But then, dad would never like any girl that he brought home anyway.  
  
Now Goten was sure to get the wrath of Vegeta over this one. Tearing Soyna's shirt off, he was assuming that it was Soyna he had been sparring with, would be a big mistake.  
  
"I didn't mean to! It is the first time that I EVER had the advantage over her!" he said. His modesty left him as he walked into the living room, with just his boxer and bandanna on. It was defiantly a time that he wished he had a camera. It was such a Kodak moment. "She had me in a head lock. I was going to pass out!"  
  
"So you tore off her shirt," Pan said.  
  
"I didn't mean too!" He pleaded. "Man, I can't go over there again. Vegeta is going to kill me. I can't beat Soyna in a match, how the hell am I supposed to protect myself from Vegeta!"  
  
"And don't forget Junior. I am sure that he is going to be mad at you too," Pan said with an evil smile.  
  
"That DOESN'T make me feel ANY better," he said. He rubbed his head. "We got to get some tougher clothes," as he looked at the tattered remains of his gi.  
  
"What did dad do to you?" Trunks asked.  
  
"He didn't catch me. I heard him yell, but them I bolted. I hope he isn't going to hunt me down," he whimpered.  
  
"Why don't you go get some clothes on and watch a movie with us. Calm down and relax. If you live through the week you can be grateful," Pan said to her uncle.  
  
Trunks looked at her and wanted to ask her why she invited him, when they were supposed to have an evening that was just the two of them. He hadn't even got to kiss her yet!  
  
Goten stood from his chair and threw his gi aside. "Na. I think I will go hide in my room. It has to be safer." He slouched from the room.  
  
Trunks let out a sigh.  
  
"You can come sit over here now. Put that movie in." She said.  
  
He smiled brightly and put in the first movie and then sat beside her and lent over to kiss her only to hear the sound of the door opening again. He didn't realize that he was growling until Pan told him to stop.  
  
Fry came in with Legen.  
  
"Did uncle make it home?" Fry asked.  
  
Pan nodded. "Yes he did."  
  
Legen grinned, "Is he alive?"  
  
They both giggled.  
  
"Yes, he is alive," Pan said.  
  
"See, She stopped Vegeta from pounding him," Fry said. "I told you, your mom has a soft spot for him."  
  
Legen shook his head. "EW! Don't even joke about that. Mom will just pound him the next time they train. Her face was so red when she ran into the house."  
  
"You should have seen it Pan. Benot comes running into the house, yelling that they were sparing naked in the yard!" Fry giggled and moved to the couch, totally ignoring that Trunks was trying to sit close to her and weaseled his way in between them. "Vegeta just about lost in right there and shot after him. Soyna had to calm down Benot before she could stop him."  
  
Legen laughed and sat on the other side of Pan. They were surrounding her. He couldn't even touch her now!  
  
"Yeah, Benot was screaming something about how his eyes hurt seeing Goten like that." Legen giggled.  
  
Fry covered his eyes, "I am going to be traumatized for life now, seeing the wimp naked!" Fry then laughed and leaned against his sister.  
  
They both laughed and Pan joined them.  
  
Trunks just wanted them to leave.  
  
"Hey! You're watching a movie! Which one!" Fry said and grabbed the remote from his hand. "Cool. Can we watch with you!"  
  
Trunks growled. He was never going to be alone with Pan again if this kept up!  
  
.............  
  
Leaving had never been so hard in his life. The boys ended up falling asleep on Pan who feel asleep herself as they watched the movie. He couldn't even talk to her.  
  
Then Gohan and Videl came home. Right away, he saw the disapproval in Gohan's eyes but also he was quite happy to see that the boys had interrupted his evening with Pan.  
  
She finally woke up then and he knew that he had to get going soon. Then Legen asked if he could take him home so that his mother wouldn't worry about him.  
  
Legen was waiting in the car and he pulled Pan into the shadows, enough so that he could talk to her in private.  
  
"I am sorry Trunks. I guess I am more tired that I thought," she said and leaned against him and he hugged her. "I promise on Saturday, I won't fall asleep on you."  
  
He grinned. "You better not," he said and rested his chin on her head and smelled that lovely apple shampoo that she uses. How he really missed rolling over and smelling that. "I missed you sneaking into my room."  
  
She giggled. "It has only been a couple of days," she said. "Your insatiable."  
  
He grinned. "Not just that, and you know that." He said and pulled her slightly away. She looked so tired. "Are you sure that you are okay?"  
  
"I'm fine Trunks. I will catch up on my sleep in no time and dad will cool off after awhile and things will be back they way they were before," she said and leaned against him. She stood on her toes and looked as if she were reaching for a kiss, which he was glad to respond too.  
  
"Trunks?"  
  
He sighed and pulled away from Pan. Legen looked at him nervously. "I don't mean to interrupt but..." He looked away from them. "I got school tomorrow." He was already slowly backing away.  
  
Pan smiled. "Don't look so angry at him," she said.  
  
Did he look angry. Good. Maybe next time, he would think twice about interrupting his time with Pan.  
  
She gave him a quick peck on the lips and then turned to leave. He never thought he would feel this way about a girl leaving him, just to go bed. He knew he would see her soon, but it just never seemed soon enough.  
  
"Call me," she said and disappeared into the house.  
  
"Damn," he whispered. He liked it better when their relationship was secret. At least they could see each other then.  
  
............  
  
When he got home, he ended up carrying Legen in, for he fell asleep in the car. He could see his father was still awake and he still looked angry. He smirked. Well, at least his father would leave him alone for awhile and concentrate all his aggression on Goten for awhile.  
  
"I'll take him."  
  
He turned to see Soyna who took Legen from his arms and he instantly snuggled to her chest and moaned, his eyes opened. "Mom?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Goten made it home alive," he said and then closed his eyes again.  
  
She chuckled.  
  
"You weren't mad at Goten?" Trunks said. He thought she would have blasted him into kingdom come for tearing off her shirt in the sparring match. Never mind dad getting mad at him. She didn't exactly have the coolest temper either.  
  
"I got back at him," she said and started to walk away.  
  
............  
  
His thoughts quickly turned to Pan as he got ready for bed. A bed that he had shared with Pan. He could still smell her shampoo on her pillow. He already thought of the left side, as her side of the bed.  
  
He had thought that he had been hung up on a girl before, but he never felt like this about anyone and it was eating away at him, that he could hardly see her because of how infantile both their families were behaving!  
  
He knew that he wasn't going to be able to sleep so decided that food was the next best thing. The boys had finished off most of the pizza that he ordered for himself and Pan, and he was still hungry.  
  
He was surprised to see his father in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, his chin in his hands and staring at the wall.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
His eyes flicked in his direction, but he didn't say anything. Not even a grunt.  
  
He raided the fridge and prepared himself a meal. Dad obviously didn't want to talk and he wasn't going to intrude upon him.  
  
His dad hadn't moved, even when he left the kitchen.  
  
He wondered how mad he was at Goten, or if he was upset with Soyna?  
  
Didn't matter.  
  
............  
  
"What are you still doing up?" He looked over at where Soyna's voice was coming from. "It is nearly midnight!"  
  
He peaked around the corner and saw that Soyna was sitting in the reading room and Legen, looking rather groggy, joined her.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
She closed the book that was on her lap. She was looking at those pictures from her past again.  
  
"Mom, will I ever have a daddy?" his voice was weak.  
  
She seemed shocked at the question. Trunks knew that he was.  
  
"Why do you ask that?" she said motioning him to come forward.  
  
Legen shrugged and crawled into his mother lap and nuzzled against her. "Everyone else has one," he said. "Their jobs are to keep the mother happy, right. Well, you need someone to make you happy."  
  
Her eyes softened. "I have you and Benot. That is all I can handle."  
  
"But..." Legen whispered.  
  
"We have talked about this before," she said.  
  
"But..." Legen tried to protest.  
  
"I am fine."  
  
"But you aren't happy," he said.  
  
She sighed. "There are more things than just not having a husband that makes me sad."  
  
"Like what?" Legen said.  
  
She sighed and lifted her son. "Let's get you to bed. I don't want you falling asleep in class."  
  
"Aw, come on mom. You can tell me," Legen said.  
  
"You are too young."  
  
"When will I be old enough then?" he whimpered. "You should be happy mom. I don't like seeing you sad."  
  
She shook her head. "Things will be changing soon and then, I can forget about all those things that make me sad."  
  
"Really? Will you find me a daddy then?" Legen said hopefully.  
  
"Why do you want a dad so bad?" she said as they walked down the hall. He followed in the shadows. This was an interesting conversation. He knew that she would probably really hurt him in their next sparing match for eavesdropping but he couldn't help it.  
  
"I had fun when Goten took us out for ice-cream. All of us. That is what daddy's do. I even saw you smile," Legen said. "And not that smirk that you usually have. A real smile."  
  
"Benot didn't care for that." She said as they went into Legen's room.  
  
"Well, that's Benot," Legen said. "You should smile more often, mom. You won't scare so many people."  
  
"Are you calling me scary?" she said.  
  
Legen laughed. "Uh-huh." She dropped him on his bed and he laughed harder.  
  
"Go to sleep," she said.  
  
"'Night mom," he said.  
  
Trunks quickly ducked into his room.  
  
He wasn't too sure what to make of that conversation. He very much doubted that Goten would be welcome for awhile in this house. Was that what his father was thinking about too? And what did she mean by that it would all change soon?  
  
He sighed. He had his own problems to worry about.  
  
...............  
  
  
There we go again.  
Another amazing chapter.  
Tournament will be arriving in a few. Just got to set up a few more things and whola, the whole thing will change... well, not really, but we will get to some kicking of butt.  
  
Soyna  
  



	20. Soyna's view

  
  
It Never Ends  
  
  
C-22  
  
Soyna's view.  
  
  
Goten lay gasping on the floor. Vegeta glowered down at him. "Don't you even dare think of pulling another stunt like that again. Next time, I will remove your head from your body!"  
  
He held his throat. He hadn't seen it coming. He was being cautious, as he knew that he had upset him with tearing off her shirt and all. Junior hadn't been mad at him. He just laughed. "I should be the least of your worries. You pissed off my sister and Vegeta. I don't need to get upset. I'm the mild mannered one, remember."  
  
He thought that was a good sign until he felt his throat being nearly crushed by Vegeta. He was totally unprepared for the attack and was stunned by the ferocity of it.  
  
He wasn't even supposed to spar with Soyna today, not that he would probably get too, he was supposed to be studying today.  
  
Junior laughed lightly and offered a hand to help him up. "You are getting off so easy," he said. "If he had saw you last night, you would be surely dead."  
  
He grunted. Damn, his throat hurt. Getting off easy? He hardly thought so. He knew that Vegeta would be hunting him down and would most likely hurt him again for tearing off her shirt. It didn't matter that he didn't mean too. She MEANT to tear off his Gi. Why wasn't he getting mad at her? He didn't mean to see her without her shirt. She PURPOUSLY tore off his clothes!  
  
He should be mad at her. But then, he did taunt her. He was asking for some sort of retaliation. He never thought it would be something like what she did. It was after all, Soyna, he was sparring with. She was usually such a serious fighter.  
  
He groaned as he stood beside Junior and coughed. Junior was still chuckling at him.  
  
Usually she was such a serious fighter, indeed.  
  
............  
  
Trunk's was in a bad mood and he could see that so was his father.  
  
His reasons for being in a bad mood was the fact that everyone seemed to be against him seeing Pan, even Pan herself, who was always busy with her training or school or sleeping.  
  
And the fact that when he sneaked into her room last night, he could hardly get a response out of her! She just mumbled in her sleep and cuddled with him. She told him to be quiet or he would wake up everyone.  
  
He didn't know why his father was in a bad mood but he could take a wild guess. He knew that it was about Goten and Soyna. It had to be.  
  
He himself thought the situation was quite funny actually. Soyna didn't seem too upset. But then, he didn't understand why she was so important to his father. He never asked or pushed the question. He knew that he wouldn't get an answer out of him anyway.  
  
He was not happy with his forced separation from Pan. He did not like that at all. She seemed to want him around, but then she would fall right asleep! Things would have worked out so much better if dad hadn't found them in bed together.  
  
He wondered if that was another reason, he was in a bad mood?  
  
A blow in the jaw forced him to concentrate on the battle again. His father was not holding back and he was about too let him take the advantage today.  
  
............  
  
Bulma smiled as she looked at Soyna.  
  
She knew that Vegeta was quite upset with her and Goten over their last sparing match. Everyone else thought it was funny.  
  
Poor Goten looked so nervous walking around the house, and he had every reason to be. She saw the venom in Vegeta's eyes when she laughed about Benot running into the house crying out that they were 'sparing naked' in the back yard. How she quickly donned her tattered shirt to try to silence Benot and how quickly the anger flared in her husband.  
  
She wished she had a camera.  
  
Soyna was watching Trunks and Vegeta fighting. They both looked frustrated and they both looked like they were not really concentrating on each other. They were fighting, but more like going through the motions of frustration.  
  
She was still holding that batter brochure in her hands. Bulma had seen her staring at it a lot lately. She knew that the new tournament seemed be offering a grand amount of money. She also knew that is now why she was entering. She said, she was doing it for her boys, but she was hiding something from them all about it.  
  
She could see it.  
  
"Everyone is tense around here today," Bulma said and was shocked to see her jump slightly. Soyna was usually the one that startled her.  
  
She looked over at her. She folded the brochure and put it in her back pocket.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine," she whispered.  
  
"You sure. You look like you need to tell me something," Bulma said. She was going to find out what she was hiding today, whether she liked it or not.  
  
She turned her head to the side. "No." She was going to walk away. Like she always did.  
  
"I can see something is bothering you. Why won't you tell me what it is?" Bulma said. "At least tell Legen. He worries so much about you."  
  
She stopped and sighed. "The tournament is coming soon and I don't know what will happen there."  
  
"What do you mean? You are stronger than any other woman on this planet! You will win!" Bulma said.  
  
She smiled. "That is not one of my worries."  
  
"Then what!" Bulma said. "I am not letting you out of my sight, until you tell me. I will be such a pest and you know I can be! What are you worried about at the tournament? Is there anything I can do?"  
  
"There is nothing that can be done. I have told you all before, I shall take care of this fight." She said.  
  
Bulma stared at the woman that was her granddaughter. What was she implying with that? Take care of what fight? She couldn't mean that...!!  
  
"You can't fight alone!" Bulma said. "You have Vegeta and Trunks and Goten and..."  
  
"It is MY fight!" She yelled. "I will kill him!"  
  
"Why didn't you tell any of us!" Bulma yelled.  
  
She grit her teeth. "It is MY FIGHT! I can't help if you are all blind and can't read any of the signs."  
  
"I won't let you fight alone! They nearly killed you last time!"" Bulma said. "What if they kill you? What about your boys!"  
  
"I AM doing this for them!" She snapped. "I will do what has to be done so that they don't have to suffer!"  
  
"Quit being so stubborn!" Bulma roared back.  
  
She growled. "I will do what HAS to be done."  
  
"Even if it kills you!" Bulma yelled at her. "How stupid is that! We can all help you!"  
  
Soyna stormed out of the room.  
  
Bulma sighed. This didn't look good.  
  
...............  
  
Vegeta growled. Why was the woman stopping their match? Damn it, she should know better. Of course, after hearing what she said made him even angrier. Did she ever plan on telling them that Krad was the one putting on this tournament? She was going to get herself killed! How did she know that he was going to be there? How could she?  
  
"Where did she go?" Vegeta growled.  
  
Bulma didn't know.  
  
Vegeta growled. He couldn't feel her. She was hiding from them. She didn't want to be found. He really wished he knew how she did that.  
  
...............  
  
"She will come back on her own!" Vegeta grumbled. "No point wasting our time looking for her."  
  
Junior collapsed into his chair with a look of defeat. "I wish she would have told us that she knew he was coming and this tournament was his way of testing us."  
  
Goten bit his lip. He knew where she went, but he didn't dare say anything. He had promised her that he would not tell anyone where she went to be alone. He was sure that was all she wanted to do, was be alone.  
  
He felt the uneasy gaze of Vegeta on him. As if it were his fault that she was gone.   
  
"Krad," Trunks whispered. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with him again."  
  
"Well, he already know that there are Saiyians here. You didn't tell him that your father was Vegeta?"  
  
Trunks shook his head. "It was not something that we brought up. Why?"  
  
"When he found out in my time, he was rather perturbed, to say the least," Junior sighed. "He was upset about some grudge about taking over a planet that was supposed to be his or something stupid like that."  
  
Vegeta looked away and out the window. Goten noticed that he would do that when there was any mention of his former life. The life, when he was the other part of Vegeta that no one talked about anymore.  
  
"I told you, I don't remember any Krad," Vegeta growled.  
  
"It could have been your father," Junior said. "He wasn't specific and we didn't think it was important enough to ask."  
  
Vegeta grunted.  
  
"But we know now that he is going to be at the tournament. We should be more prepared that we already are," Trunks said.  
  
"No you don't!" Bulma interrupted. "You are not getting out of going to work to enter into some tournament. There are enough of you to take care of him, without you running my company into the ground!"  
  
"Mom," Trunk's whined. "But..."  
  
"Don't you talk back to me!" Bulma snapped. "Soyna is adamant enough that no one should get in her way of destroying Krad. She will have Vegeta there and Junior and Goten. There will be other there. Marron is competing and so is her mother. I don't think that they will any problems taking care of them. You both know that they like to use a sneak attack. Well, they lost that now, don't you think!"  
  
Trunks looked defeated.  
  
"Don't you have to be leaving now?" Vegeta growled.  
  
Goten jumped. It was directed at him. He nodded, "Yeah, I should get home. I guess it's going to be a rough month."  
  
From the look on Vegeta's face, he was certain that it was going to be a rough month indeed.  
  
............  
  
Goten didn't go straight home. He knew that he should let her brood in peace.  
  
But he went to that little piece of paradise that he had saw her nearly crying in. He didn't need to feel her to know that she was there. He just knew that she was.  
  
When he landed, he tried to be as quiet as possible. He didn't want to upset her further.  
  
She was leaning against the tree, her back to him. "Go away." She said when he started to walk towards her.  
  
"Everyone is worried about you," he said and kept walking towards her. "I didn't tell anyone about this place, but I thought I would check on you."  
  
She turned. She looked angry.  
  
"Get lost! I come here to be alone!" She snapped. "I don't need you around!"  
  
"Bulma told us what you said about Krad," he said. "You don't have to fight alone."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I know that I don't HAVE to fight alone. But I want too! I am not giving any of you any choice in the matter!" She moved away from the tree. "He is mine to kill. He destroyed everything that was valuable to me!"  
  
He stood there and stared at her for a bit. How was he going to respond to that?  
  
"Now! Leave me alone! I need so peace before I go back home. I do not want to get angry at my children!" She yelled.  
  
"You never told us how he hurt you," Goten said. "You just said that he killed your husband. What else did he do?"  
  
Her eyes grew wide for a moment. She was startled by his question. What else did he do to her? What was she not telling them?  
  
"What aren't you telling us!" he spoke his thoughts.  
  
"It is none of your concern!" She growled.  
  
"I think it is!" He said. "You can't run away everything there is a painful question."  
  
"I am not running!"   
  
"Then why do you come here all the time!" he yelled back. "You hide here! You can't hide from me! So tell me, or I will not leave you alone!"  
  
Her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Tell me!" Goten demanded. "What did he do to you?"  
  
She looked like she was going to defy him and not say anything, but then she let out a sigh. "I don't like to even remember those times."  
  
"You obviously are dwelling on them." He said.  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe I do," she said. "It keeps me focused on the hatred that I feel for Krad. Instead of my husband." Her voice a whisper.  
  
"What?" This is not what he expected to hear at all.  
  
She sat down cross-legged in the dirt. She looked up at him. "Do you want to hear this or not?"  
  
He sat down in front of her and then waited for her to start to talk.  
  
............  
  
  
He didn't interrupt her as she spoke in a low soft voice that was full of sadness. He knew about the hope that Krad had brought them. She elaborated and told him that they were planning on helping them plant new crops and build new cities. Make life on earth, back to the way that it once was and even better.  
  
Right from the beginning they were plotting to separate Soyna and her husband. "I so trusted Krad and his generals. I had no idea that the only reason she was there was to try to seduce my husband away from me and draw me towards him. The death of my father was part of that too."  
  
She had sighed heavily. "I spent all my time, trying to nurse my father back to health, even risking my own health with the children in my stomach. This was time that one of Krad's generals moved into comfort my husband." She sighed heavily. "She wasn't even that pretty, but he still went to her."  
  
He could hear the pain in her voice as she mentioned this. "Krad wanted, not just my children for his army, but me. Especially when they found out how strong we all were as compared to the saiyians they used to fight. He did not know that I got my saiyian blood from my father, after all purple hair and blue eyes are not a saiyian trait that you see very often. He thought I must have got that blood from my mother who was no longer around. He wanted to push me away from my family. Make him trust him."  
  
She took a long deep breath.  
  
"It almost worked too."  
  
He sat in silence. He could see how hard this was for her to say. It was almost killing her by how uncomfortable she looked.  
  
"When I saw... that," she sighed. "I lost control. My father..." she paused here, "even as sick as he was, stopped me from loosing complete control. He felt how angry I was. He could hardly walk, never mind stand, but he came to me." Her voice grew even softer. "It was my fault that he died because he had to come rescue me from myself. If he would have stayed in bed. If only he would have stayed in bed."  
  
She blamed herself for her father death. Her eyes were watering again. She blamed herself.  
  
"He nearly died that day because of me!" She said angrily. "He was so ill after holding me back from nearly destroying both my husband and that wretched woman. I got her later though. She was one of the first that I killed when Krad showed his true colors."  
  
Did Junior know about this betrayal? Brennen, in the past, had only been mentioned in good light. Did she just do that for the sake of the boys? When they said that Brennen saved them, were they just saying that?  
  
"My father died three weeks later," she whispered. "I would talk to no one but Junior until Krad pushed himself into my life. He showed up when I buried dad here," she said looking at the earth beneath the big tree. "Everyone else stayed back from me. Brennen still did not dare to approach me. But Krad did. I still get angry at how easily he manipulated me!" Her fist punched the dirt, raising a could of dust. "He offered me a shoulder to cry on and I took it over the members of my own family!"  
  
"I was almost glad to see that it hurt Brennen."  
  
"It took another week before I found out what Krad's true plan was when I refused his offer on going with him into space to join his army, my children and myself. I was still not talking to Brennen but I was contemplating it as he had not seen that woman since I caught him."  
  
"Krad lost his temper and in his anger betrayed his plan to me by saying that he would poison my brother too, if I did not go with him."  
  
"That is when I saw him for the man that he was and saw how scheming he was," she said angrily. "How he so easily manipulated us all. He misjudged me though. He did not realize my strength. Being just a woman, he thought I would be easy to control, and if he controlled me, he could control my brother. Especially with our father gone. He didn't know how wrong he was. He thought that I was dependent on the men in my life. He didn't realize that I was not dependent on them. I just loved them and they cared for me. I didn't need them to live, as he thought. He thought that I only fought for fun. He didn't know how devastated the androids were to the planet and how father wanted to be prepared, just in case. He misread me rather badly, in that area."  
  
"I forgave Brennen for what he had done. After all, it was a trained seductress that he sent after him," she sighed. "Well, I partial forgave him. I was still angry at him but I was willing to look at him as we prepared to drive Krad off of our earth."  
  
"I did not count on the whip being poisoned. Father was not poisoned in such a way. He was given it, in drink form. He didn't even know about it until a couple of hours after he drank it."  
  
"They may not be strong, but they had the technology and I, being the last fighter left, was not in the greatest shape to fight him. I was so large with child, that I got rid of some of the lower army and that wretched woman, but I couldn't get to Krad as much as I wanted too."  
  
"We were guarding our house, with the modified time capsule in it. Krad pulled out his whip and did this big speech thing about, how does it feel the be the last of a dead race, crap. I taunted him and then he lunged that whip at me. I didn't even dodge it. I realized that I should have when it hurt. A simple leather whip wouldn't hurt. I felt the pain almost instantly and the weakness immediately."  
  
"Junior came to rescue me. He stood in front of me. You must understand, that he was only a ten year old boy then. He was not as big as he is now, he was almost even scrawny for a kid. But he stood in front of me and he fought off a couple of the fighters, until one, sprayed that poison in his eyes. I know that he sometimes blames himself for not training and being strong enough to protect me."  
  
"I had regained some of my strength and was able to scoop up my brother and drag up both back into the house. Brennen and grandma were there. They had the capsule ready to go."  
  
"I don't remember what happened to grandma. I really don't. I think she was using one of their own weapons against them. I do know that Brennen threw us into the capsule and randomly punched in numbers. I know that he was able to..."  
  
She stood suddenly.  
  
"I am here now!" She said defiantly. "I won't let him even be able to think about having any of us for his precious army and he won't be allowed to have this planet!"  
  
He sat still as she started to pace.  
  
"Tell me what happened," he said. "Maybe then, your nightmares will stop."  
  
She gave him a glare and continued to pace.  
  
"Brennen had time to bandage my brother and my wounds. It was quick. The whole time, he was talking and I was listening." Her hands went into tight fists. "The last thing he did was say that he was sorry about hurting me and gave me a kiss, before they broke in!"  
  
"I couldn't even speak to him! I couldn't say anything as he punched the last numbers in the console and the lid began to close. He was dragged out. I didn't see him die, but I know that it was not a pleasant death."  
  
"What did you want to say to him?" Goten asked. He knew this was the key part of the story for her. The reason for her fury.  
  
She stopped her pacing. "I know that he didn't sleep with that creature," her voice was that soft whisper again. "I know that I just caught a stolen kiss. I know that he loved me. He saved me and Junior from certain death. I never got to tell him that I was sorry."  
  
She turned her back to him.  
  
Goten stood and gently put his hands on her shoulders. Trying to comfort her. He heard a brief sob, she was trying hard not to cry. She was reliving it, as she was telling him the story. He was almost sorry that he had asked.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said. "That was really none of my business."  
  
He was not expecting what came next. She turned around and pushed herself into him. Her arms pushing against his belly and her head resting against his chest. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her.  
  
She wasn't really crying. She was just standing there in his arms. Smelling her hair and strong scent that was bringing thoughts that he knew that he shouldn't have into his head. Not right now anyway.  
  
He held her for about five minutes.  
  
"Soyna?" he asked as she pulled away. She looked drained and tired. Weak, almost.  
  
She didn't look at him. She looked at the ground.  
  
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked. He took a step forward, hoping that he could hold her again.  
  
She looked up with the saddest green eyes that he had ever seen before. "I cannot go through that heart destroying time again, Goten. It will destroy me." She began to levitate now. "I am going home to be with my family. You go be with yours."  
  
He watched her go and was tempted to follow, but thought better of it. He went home to his family with the painful story running through his head.  
  
.............  
  
  
A/N  
  
Now, we understand Soyna a little bit better. She is opening up a little, isn't she.   
  
Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, for all my hungry fans. What twist will I add next? Heh?  
  
Soyna  
  
  



	21. Almost Couples

  
A million and half sorry's for the delay of this chapter... Here it is. I also had a stint of writers block in the middle of a hectic couple of weeks so it took me a lot longer to write than normal.  
  
  
C-23 Almost Couples  
  
  
  
Gohan saw Pan's bag by the door and knew that usually meant that she was up in her room but her room was empty when he went to check on her.  
  
He knew where she went. He knew that she was with Trunks now and he didn't like that. He still did not approve of Trunk's seeing his little girl. He was too old for her and he was a notorious womanizer. She deserved better than that.  
  
He shouldn't have let up on him as they fought when he found out that she and he were... were... he shuttered. He didn't even like to think of that. He knew that she was old enough to make her own decisions but... Trunks?  
  
He would have to have a long talk with her when she got home. He never really calmed down enough to get over the fact that they had been seeing each other in the romantic way for a month before any of them found out. And then she did all that after laughing at him when he asked her about their lunch dates.  
  
She played him the fool.  
  
Videl had tried talking to him about everything and he didn't remember half of what she said. She wasn't upset. Why wasn't she upset? She should be!  
  
He knew that he should be concentrating on the more immediate threat of Krad's arrival, but he could only think about his daughter. He was worried about how she would react once Trunks got tired of her. He surely would.  
  
He rubbed his head. It was all so much. He had like her last boyfriend. He was not that bad of a guy. He didn't feel that he had to threaten him to get him to treat his little girl right. He was respectful and decent. He really didn't understand why they broke up.  
  
Then he noticed how quiet the house was. No one was home.  
  
The boys must all be at Capsule Corp. That was a good thing. He knew that it was not the right thing to do, but he told Fry that every time that he interfered with Trunks and Pan, he would get an extra dollar for his allowance. So far, he owned the kid and extra five bucks.  
  
He knew Videl had some meeting to go to at the hospital and he wasn't too sure what mom was doing, but he was glad that she was out of the house for a change, instead of brooding at home or in the garden.  
  
He knew the quiet wouldn't last for long. He knew that for certain so he thought that he would take advantage of it by taking a long hot shower before he got down to marking papers. He wouldn't be able to stay in there long once everyone else arrives home.  
  
But he was not prepared for the scene that presented itself in the bathroom.  
  
............  
  
Trunk's was about to kill Fry. He was always there! He was trying to have a nice conversation with Pan, but he was always interrupting them! Fry was treated it like a game! He seemed to know just when he was going to lean down and give her a kiss or say something that took him quite a bit of courage to say.  
  
"What are you getting paid for this!" He yelled as Fry darted away with his two accomplices close behind him. He just laughed and was surely was preparing for his next attack.  
  
"Why don't we go to my house?" Pan said as she pulled on his arm to get him to sit down again. "It will be a little bit more peaceful there."  
  
Yeah, he thought, but Gohan will be there too. "Why don't we just go for a walk. They won't wander far from their video games not that Benot is actually allowed to play them again."  
  
She nodded. "We can get something to eat too huh?" she said.  
  
"Are you always hungry?" he joked.  
  
"Of course!" she said.  
  
............  
  
Gohan blinked at the mess. "What the...?"  
  
He saw his brother's school clothes scattered and soaked in one corner of the room and a familiar green shirt and jeans piled next to them. He looked in the tub and saw that it was full of grime and blood.  
  
He didn't know if he should be worried or angry?  
  
He picked up the green shirt and saw the familiar logo of Capsule Corporation on it. From the size, he was sure that it had to be Soyna's. Green was her favorite color. It looked rather tattered, almost scorched. What the hell was it doing in his bathroom and what the hell was all this mess? Why was his brother's clothes mixed with her clothes? What the hell was she doing over here anyway?  
  
He picked up the clothes and put them aside. They must have got carried away with a sparing match. That was all. It was not like his brother has been known to be one of the cleanest people in the world. But why were her clothes in his bathroom?  
  
"Goten?" he called.  
  
He didn't get an answer. He didn't really expect one.  
  
He had laughed about the incident in which he tore off her shirt in the sparing match and then how she tore off his Gi. He was rather amazed that she didn't get to mad at him. Of course, with Benot interrupting like that... but what did all this mess mean?  
  
He went to look at his brother's room and knew how Vegeta felt when he saw Trunks and Pan in bed together.  
  
Well, almost.  
  
............  
  
Trunk's was so glad to be out of that house with just Pan. He was able to wrap his arms around Pan and walk close to her without worrying about anyone getting upset as they looked at them. Fry was not around to interrupt as he stopped and kissed her. Vegeta wasn't around to give a disapproving grunt. Gohan was not around to give him the death glare.  
  
"We really have to find time to get some privacy," he said. "I miss you so much when we can't spend time together." He knew that he sounded needed but didn't care. He didn't like being apart from her.  
  
"Once this tournament is over and once I am done this semester," she said. "We will have all the time in the world." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "But then, you will never get rid of me. I won't let you go."  
  
He grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he held her closer.  
  
"I would have to really hurt you bad and then let dad at you if you did," she said. "And you know that I can hurt you bad."  
  
He laughed. "It will never come to that," he said. "No matter what everyone else is saying. I don't need to look anywhere else for the perfect woman."  
  
She actually blushed at that! It was so hard to get her to blush. She looked down at the ground. "So what are you saying?" her voice a whisper. Her walking pace slowed a little.  
  
What was he saying?  
  
He bit his lip and looked into her dark eyes and couldn't say anything else. He knew what his heart wanted him to say, but his mouth wouldn't work. He licked his lips and tried to make the words come out and he could feel them coming.  
  
Then he felt the shock of cold water strike him in a big wave. He stood there soaking and stunned.  
  
"Gotcha!" Fry's voice. Benot and Legen's giggles as they scrambled to run and leave.  
  
It didn't help that Pan was laughing too.  
  
"It's not funny! I am going to kill your brother!" He said and turned to run after him. He would find a nice pond near by and throw him in as soon as he caught him. He just about said it! He just about said it and Fry had ruined the whole thing! He would have gone after him, if Pan didn't pull him back.  
  
"You can get him later," she said with a large grin.  
  
He was soaked. They must have had one hell of a water balloon.  
  
"Let's go find a place to eat," she said.  
  
"But..." He needed to change his clothes and if he ran into the brat's he was surely going to make a side trip.  
  
"I am hungry now. Let's go," she said not giving him a choice.  
  
............  
  
Gohan couldn't help but stare.  
  
Goten was sitting up in his bed, looking like he had not meant to fall asleep. He was only wearing a pair of running shorts and was sitting on top of the blankets with a pillow propped behind him.  
  
Soyna lay next to him, wrapped in a robe that looked way to big for her and was snuggled up close to him. Her hair was a mess, she was usually careful about her hair. He could only see that she the top of her head and that her eyes were closed and her bare feet, which looked like they were burnt. Goten's arm protectively held her close to him.  
  
When did this happen?  
  
"Goten?" he whispered.  
  
Goten's eyes flickered open. "Huh?" he said and looked down and the woman in his arms and then at him. He blushed furiously. "Gohan!" He didn't move though, as if he were afraid to wake her.   
  
"I think I need an explanation," Gohan said a little louder.  
  
He gave a nervous laugh and moved her slightly so that he could get up from the bed. She groaned and seemed to start shaking a bit until he covered her with a blanket as she settled into the bed as if it were her own.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" Gohan said, another secret relationship. Would they ever end? Who was next to start one of these?  
  
"What?" He said as he pushed him out the door.  
  
"You and Soyna! I didn't even think she wanted a relationship with anyone and here you two are, leaving wet clothes in the bathroom and you two are nearly naked," he said.  
  
"Sush, Gohan, you will wake her! And it's not what you think. Let's go downstairs and I will explain what happened. Raymond should be here soon to take care of her." He said trying to guide his brother down the stairs.  
  
............  
  
Trunks could see how tired Pan was getting. It was only 9 and the weekend had just started but he could see how drained she looked.  
  
"Maybe I should take you home," he said. "You look so drained."  
  
"I'm fine. I am just training too hard. Now that we have a real reason to train for the tournament, I really have to get myself into shape again," she said trying to look more awake, but failed completely at her attempt.  
  
"Are you sure your okay?" he asked.  
  
"Positive, and plus, I wasn't planning on going home tonight," she said with a smile that he couldn't help but return.  
  
"But Gohan will get mad," he said. The wonderful thoughts were replaced by the memory of how angry Gohan had been, correction, was at him. It was one of the scariest things that he had ever seen in his life. Especially, when he was one of the calmer people that he knew.  
  
"Don't worry about dad," she said with a dismissive swipe of her hand. "He won't brood much longer over it. He just has to get used to it. Mom said that he would eventually accept it and he will. He just a little over protective."  
  
No kidding, he thought. "But we can't go back to my place. Those brats are certainly waiting for us."  
  
She laughed again.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You are starting to sound like Vegeta," she said and took his arm. "You know that Fry is only taunting us so that dad can pay him some extra allowance."  
  
"What!" So he was right! The little weasel was getting paid to torture him, by Gohan! That was a down right dirty trick!  
  
She laughed again. "I know a place where we can go. There will be no interruptions there."  
  
............  
  
"This better be good," Gohan said.   
  
"Well, I followed her after school. I was just worried about her and I wanted to make sure that she was all right. She just seemed so upset the other day, that I didn't feel right leaving her alone." He said. Gohan felt that he was leaving something out.  
  
"You followed Soyna? Vegeta and even her own brother can't follow her, how the hell do you follow or even find her?" Gohan scoffed.  
  
Goten chewed his lip. "I just knew where to look." He looked down at his hands, which were in his lap. "I haven't told anyone that I know where to find her. She was mad enough at me when I did find her."  
  
Gohan sighed deeply, "Go on."  
  
"Well, she was powering up. At first, it wasn't anything that I hadn't seen her do before. But then, she started to change further... I can't explain it all that well. It was like that time, when I was little... when Vegeta sacrificed himself... that feeling. Like her power was growing to large for her to handle. Her aura changed to this awful red color and..." he took a deep sigh. "I just knew that I had to stop her. Her power level was still rising. It was out of control. She couldn't stop it. She was in so much pain. Her screams were terrible." He looked at the stairs. "I shot a ki blast at her and shocked her out of that state. Then her power just dropped and she fell from the sky. I thought I killed her ki dropped so quickly."  
  
He didn't feel anything. He was sure that if she was on the verge of self destruction, he would have felt it. Certainly, Vegeta would have, or Junior at least. Why didn't they come running?  
  
"I raced after her. She looked as if she were barely awake. I caught her before she hit the ground." He took a deep sigh. "All she said was, 'did I make it?' I didn't know what she was trying to do so I just said, 'make what?' Then she said, 'the next level? Did I finally make it?' I told her, no, and then she passed out on me."  
  
The next level? She must have a death wish! None of the halfling had been able to ascend further than the second level. She could already match Vegeta in a battle at level 3 and she was trying to get to the next level! She was being foolish!  
  
Goten continued. "I was so scared that she was really hurt. Her fingers and feet were all black, even her nose. I rushed here, not really thinking all that clearly, and then no one was home. She was so warm that I thought immersing her in water would help. I didn't take her clothes off at first. I just filled up the tub and put that stuff in that Pan uses to help herself relax and placed her in."  
  
"I really didn't know that she hated water that much," he said sheepishly. "She wasn't strong enough to fight me off, but she was strong enough to get me and the whole room wet. First she was mad at me for stopping her rise to the next level. Then she was mad at me for putting her the tub. Then she just accused me of wanted to see her without her shirt again."  
  
Gohan was a little bit suspicious of that himself. It had been awhile since his brother had been on a date. Soyna was not one to look at for a date, but then, his brother wasn't the smartest one of the bunch.  
  
"I had to look at how badly she was burnt. She could hardly move her legs. They are the worst. She didn't like it when I removed her clothes to see how bad her burns were." He was visibly flushed. He didn't seem to mind removing her clothes at all. "She became delirious and was even crying!" He twitched in his chair. "Her hands are all black and even her nose got burnt. There are a few burnt patches here. The tip of her tail lost all it's hair but other than that, her legs were the worst."  
  
"You should have taken her to Raymond, instead of just calling him," Gohan said.  
  
"I know, but you didn't see how vulnerable she was in the water as I washed her burns. I didn't want to move her. It took her awhile, but she eventually calmed until I took her out and wrapped her in my bathrobe." He sighed. "She woke up slightly but allowed me to put the cream on her burns and I just meant to lie her down on the bed, so that I could get changed. I really was, but she wouldn't let me go."  
  
Gohan gave his brother a look of disbelieve. If he could get her undressed and in a tub of water, he was sure that he could make her let go.  
  
"She had her tail wrapped so tightly around my arm. I was afraid that I would hurt her if I did remove it!" he said sharply. "You have no idea how weird that felt!"  
  
"Okay. Okay, at least you called Raymond, now and then you can explain to me why your clothes were as wet as hers on the bathroom floor," Gohan said and saw how tense his brother got.  
  
"She soaked me, okay. I just changed," he did not elaborate. He was leaving something out again.  
  
Gohan didn't want to hear anymore.  
  
............  
  
Trunk's lifted the sleeping form of Pan into his arms. They had sat down in a secluded area of the park and were alone, but Pan fell asleep. He thought about taking her home, but that meant a confrontation with Gohan. He would rather risk running into his own father, than running into him. Plus, he didn't really want to be away from her.  
  
He couldn't say it yet. Stupid kid had to ruin the moment, as usual. He would get back at him for that and make Gohan's little trick at keeping them separate backfire!  
  
............  
  
She was wearing some of Pan's clothes, he quickly noticed, a rather snug looking T-shirt and shorts. Her legs did look bad. They were black all the way up to her knees and her hands looked as if she had dipped them in black paint, her nose being all black, looking kind of cute though, almost as if it were painted on. She just needed some whiskers.  
  
She was sitting up in the bed now looking at her burnt legs and hands, looking a little dazed as Raymond sat beside her to examine the burns.  
  
"This is the worst that I have ever seen you," Raymond said.  
  
She didn't respond. She just sat there, as if she were afraid to move.  
  
Raymond took one of her hands and tried to draw it towards him, but she quickly drew it back. She clutched her hand into a fist, the black cracking showing a harsh looking pink underneath.  
  
"The cream doesn't seem to be helping." Raymond muttered.  
  
"I put it on really thick like you said," Goten said.  
  
She looked up at Goten. He couldn't tell if she was angry or sad with that look. This was not the Soyna that he was used too. What did Goten do to change her?  
  
"Well, at least you didn't break her arm to get her to stop," Raymond said as he look at the scrape on her side. "She just needs to rest. Hopefully, we won't have to give her a sensu bean."  
  
"No stupid bean. I have to fight in the tournament," her voice was a whisper. "I do not want to sleep through it all."  
  
"Your burns are pretty bad," Raymond said. "You will have to take a few days rest at least. Don't do what you did when Vegeta broke your arm. Don't make me give you that injection to calm you down again."  
  
"I am ready to fight in the tournament," she whispered and moved her legs. The burnt covering cracked and some fell to the floor. He had to look away at the sight and the sound was horrible. She didn't show that she was in any pain or otherwise.  
  
"You should lie back down. Sleep. Let the wounds cool further before you move. You don't want to get an infection," Raymond said and pulled a syringe out of his bag.  
  
She coolly looked at him. "I thought you didn't want to give me that injection."  
  
"This is just to help you sleep," he said.  
  
"I can't stay here. Not in this bed," she said and tried to stand.  
  
Raymond pushed her back down. "You are going to listen to me this time!" She looked at him with blinking eyes. "You are going to stay here and you are going to sleep off this needle that I am going to give you. When you wake up, you will have a bath to hopefully soak off most of the dead skin and ease the pain in the burns using this herb. He placed a bag on the night side table. Then after the bath, you will use the cream on the burns, and then you can go kill yourself!"  
  
"I don't like bath's," she whispered as she watched the skin on her hands cracked as she moved her fingers.  
  
"I don't care!" Raymond snapped. "I didn't marry Bra to be everyone personal physician! You will take a bath, no matter how much you hate it or else I will make sure that you get a sensu bean the day before the tournament and you sleep through everything and someone else gets to destroy Krad instead of you!" He grabbed her arm and gave her the needle. She winced but didn't complain.  
  
Gohan was shocked. He had never seen him look so angry before in his life. Of course, Raymond was about the only one that could really loose his temper with that family and get away with it. Vegeta may not like him, but he tolerated him.  
  
"But..." Goten said. "That's my bed."  
  
Soyna looked at him with a familiar look. "I guess you have to sleep on the floor then."  
  
"It's my bed!" He snapped back at her.  
  
"You should have thought of that before you stopped me from reaching my full potential!" She snapped back.  
  
Raymond rolled his eyes.  
  
"You were going to destroy yourself!" He yelled back.  
  
"I was not! I know the limits of my power!" She responded. She obviously was not in that much pain. Gohan watched in amusement as her tail all went spiky expect for the burnt tip. He seldom saw her loose control of her tail and it was quite amazing to see it whip around behind her. She must really be mad at Goten. He was going to pay later for sure.  
  
"Hardly!" he snapped.  
  
Raymond walked by him. "She will be fine in a couple of days. She will have some sensitive skin, but the burns look worse than they are. Hopefully that sedative works soon."  
  
"I didn't ask to be nearly drowned by you either!" She snapped back at him. She suddenly became aware that her robe was open and covered herself up with it and shrugged it back on her shoulders.  
  
"I had to cool you down. You were burning up!" He snorted back. "I could have let you cook and then your whole body would have been black!"  
  
Gohan sighed deeply and followed Raymond downstairs. He could still hear them yelling at each other. He hoped that sedative would work soon too. He was contemplating asking Raymond if it would work on Goten too.  
  
.............  
  
  
  
AN.... There we go... Sorry, again, that it took so long to get this chapter out... Things sure are heating up... Stay tuned...   
  
The Tournament is coming!  
  
Soyna.  
  
  
  
  



	22. The End of the Preparations

  
Again, I am sorry for the length of time it took with the last chapter... Hopefully this one will make up for it. I know a lot of you were waiting for me to post it. There is a little bit of T/P in here and a lot of G/S...   
  
Enjoy  
  
  
  
  
  
C-24 Preparations  
  
  
  
  
Trunk's was going to ask her as soon as he saw her. He wasn't going to give her a chance to interrupt him, he wasn't going to let Fry interfere in any way and especially Gohan was not going to get in his way.. He was just going to tell her! Then no one would get in their way!  
  
She opened the door and he was about to shove the box into her hands and ask her, but her face looked so sad and confused. It startled him.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
She walked outside and closed the door. She wrapped her arm around his arm, "We need to go for a walk."  
  
............  
  
Goten could barely breath after Vegeta's attack. He was pretty sure that he broke something as he sat up. He didn't see it coming. He knew that Vegeta would not be happy with him, especially with his granddaughter, who was not in her own clothes and drugged up, in his bed, but nearly crushing his throat was not called for.  
  
But then again, it was Vegeta.  
  
He tried to explain to Vegeta why. Vegeta had felt the power surge and drop but couldn't pinpoint her. When he found out where she was, Goten thought he was going to be thanked for not helping her but Gohan went into to many detail and mentioned that the first thing he saw was the pile of wet clothes in the bathroom and how Soyna was now wearing Pan's.  
  
Vegeta was not happy about it at all.  
  
What was he supposed to do? He just did what Raymond told him to do. He couldn't leave her in her other clothes, they would stick to the burns and that would hurt her worse.  
  
He was so glad that he had left out some of what had happened or else he was sure that Vegeta would have ripped his head off by now, not just causing him to be gasping for air.  
  
The kiss.  
  
He had pulled her out of the tub and she was shaking just gently as he wrapped her in his terry robe. He held her close, sitting there on the bathroom floor. Her head was resting on his shoulder and he really wasn't thinking as he went to kiss her. It was just a gentle kiss on her forehead and he realized that he probably shouldn't have done that when her eyes flicked open in shock. He was trying to comfort her. Trying to tell her that he would be there for her but all he could think of doing was rocking her gently in his arms and giving her that kiss.  
  
He couldn't even apologize because he wasn't sorry for kissing her. He wanted to kiss her for so long.  
  
Her eyes were full of shock. She wrinkled her black nose and he was sure that she was going to yell at him and call him a pervert or something but she didn't. She just looked at him with those big eyes as if she was trying to understand why he had kissed her. They almost sparkled.  
  
"I keep pushing you away and yet you are still are trying," she whispered as she went back to resting her head on his shoulder. She wasn't looking at him anymore. Her shaking was getting a little worse than before. He held her tighter but was careful not to hurt her.  
  
"I am not like the other men that you encountered in your life," he said as he stood and started to carry her to his room. He would get her dressed in there. He was very aware of how naked she was underneath the robe and he felt the desire for her but the concern over her wounds overwhelmed the desire. He, after all, couldn't help his male side.  
  
She grunted and that was when her tail wrapped around his arm. He nearly dropped her but quickly regained control of himself as he laid her on the bed. She let him go slowly. "I will get you some of Pan's clothes to put you in."  
  
She grunted.  
  
He threw his wet clothes in the bathroom and had changed quickly and just grabbed whatever was lying around in Pan's room.  
  
They didn't talk as she struggled to get dressed. He was trying to be so careful not to touch the ki burns that were darkening on her. He never had burns such at that, but he was pretty sure that it hurt. He was also trying to avert his eyes from her body. It was hard, but he didn't want to think that he was gawking at her, even though he was.  
  
"Raymond will be coming soon," he said as he wrapped the robe around her again. She was still shaking. He ran his fingers through her hair trying to calm her wild hair.  
  
"Uh, huh," she said. Her eyes were barely open.  
  
He just about left, but changed his mind. He was going to go downstairs and wait for Raymond but he didn't want to leave her. He sat beside her and propped the pillow behind him. He just wanted to be there, in case the pain increased. Her burns were darkening. He didn't think that she would use him as a pillow and nuzzle close to him, or that her tail would wrap around on his legs as he sat there. He gave her a kiss again. She didn't look at his shocked or otherwise, but made a slight purring sound before sleep took her and it was only five minutes before he found himself asleep. He didn't think he was out long when he heard his brother calling his name.  
  
A tender moment that he couldn't tell anyone about. Not that anyone would believe that Soyna had let him kiss her to begin with, but how she was usually so harsh to him every other time that they were together, but she wasn't as harsh as she was in the past.  
  
"Here," his little nephew gave him a glass of water, which he gratefully took and swallowed painfully down. "What did you do to piss off Vegeta?"  
  
"Does it ever take much," he croaked.  
  
Fry nodded his head and walked away.  
  
He could hear Soyna in his room. "I am FINE!"  
  
"FINE!" Vegeta snapped at her. He dared to peak in. "You nearly destroyed yourself!"  
  
She was sitting up in the bed and rubbing cream on her hands. "I am fine!"  
  
"What good will it do if you are dead!" he snapped at her.  
  
"I know my limits!" She snapped at him. "I needed to know how far I could go! I know!"  
  
They glared at each other.  
  
Her eyes flicked towards him and Vegeta saw it. Goten never thought that he could be so scared of Vegeta. "You are not staying here," he said and turned back to Soyna. "I am taking you home. Now."  
  
She didn't protest.  
  
He was sort of sad to see her go. He watched as Vegeta carried her out and he purposely avoided his gaze. He looked at Soyna. She didn't say anything but he knew what she wanted. He didn't think he could do that.  
  
After Gohan and Raymond had left the room and after the sedative just about took over again he went to comfort her for she had such a troubled look on her face.  
  
She didn't push him away as he helped her under the covers again, but what she had said disturbed him so much.  
  
He just could not look the other way anymore. He couldn't help for how he was starting to feel about her, even though the feelings were quite confusing for him. He couldn't help the dreams that would haunt him that involved her. He just could not stop thinking about her and yet she wanted him too. Saying it would be better for everyone. No one would get hurt if he kept his distance. He could hear the conflict in her own voice. He told her that he would look after her. She shook her head and said that she didn't want him too. She could take care of herself. Her voice had sounded a little angry. He told her right back that he didn't think that she was not capable, but that he just wanted too. He told her that he dreamed about her all the time and just couldn't imagine life without her anymore.  
  
She gave him a confused look and then the needle that Raymond had given her took full hold and she was asleep at last.  
  
He wanted to talk some sense into her, but with Vegeta nearly causing his throat to collapse he would doubt that he would get much chance to talk to her after this. He had to try but he doubted that she would even want to see him.  
  
............  
  
"Three weeks to the tournament and you pull this stupid stunt," Vegeta growled at Soyna who was not really listening to him as she was slowly applying some more of the noxious smelling cream on her legs. She had her back to him and hardly spoken a word to him since he had brought her home.  
  
Legen had given her a worried hug and asked her where she had been. She lied to him by telling him that she was just out testing herself to make sure that she was strong enough to protect him. Vegeta was sure that Legen knew that it was a lie. He was pretty sure that Legen saw right through that, Benot seemed happy with the explanation and then went into a chorus of what was she going to cook for supper. She managed to even hide the burns from them from now as they disappeared to go to their regular routine of trouble making.  
  
"You are not strong enough to get the level that you are looking for!" he said. "You do not have enough Saiyian blood!"  
  
She looked at him with a glare. "I was able to reach it before and one day, I will reach it again!" Then she turned back to her burns.  
  
He did not want to talk to her anymore. She was being irrational. She didn't know her own limits! He knew her limits better than anyone. He had stopped her many a time from trying to get to that 'next' level, knowing that she would just destroy herself in the process. She was strong, but she was not that strong.  
  
............  
  
Goten sighed and rubbed his throat. Not only did it hurt from the punch that Vegeta gave him, but the old scratch was starting to burn again. He knew that was because he was tired. It wasn't like he slept much last night at all. He had moved to the couch, but every sound that he heard he worried about Soyna. Couldn't get her out of his head and it was driving him nuts.  
  
He wanted to go work off the tension but no one was around to spar with.  
  
He had heard Trunks a little while ago, but he was wrapped up in Pan and he was sure that Pan was wrapped up in him and didn't want to disturb them. He was sure Fry or Gohan would interfere sooner or later in that department.  
  
He went out into the yard and meant to do some training by himself.  
  
He saw his mom sitting by the garden.  
  
"You look terrible son," she said as she saw him.  
  
"Thanks," he mumbled. She looked like she was feeding the fish in the pond who were jumping up for the little pellets of food that she was feeding them.  
  
"That Soyna is really getting to you, huh?" she said.  
  
He bit his lip and looked into the water. She had no idea by how much.  
  
"Don't give up on her," Chi-Chi said as she patted his shoulder. "Sometimes it is hard for us to get though to someone with Saiyian blood, especially when she gets her genes from Vegeta."  
  
He looked at her. Was she trying to cheer him up?  
  
"Soyna is a good woman who just had a lot of bad things happen to her, so just give her time," Chi-Chi said as she threw another handful of pellets onto the water.  
  
"How much time?" Goten asked. "She always talks as if the tournament is going to be the end of everything."  
  
Chi-Chi sighed. "They usually are," her voice was thick with sadness, "and when things end, things begin all anew." She gave a smile. "I got you out of one of the tournaments your father entered. The Cell game. I was never closer to your father than I was that week." Her eyes glazed over as if she were remember the fondest moment of her life.  
  
Goten sighed and nodded. "So you think she will be more open after the tournament?"  
  
"Surely," Chi-Chi said. "She will have gotten rid of the person that caused her the most pain. She will have room to let you in."  
  
That made him feel a bit better. Krad just had to stop haunting her and then she could get on with her life here and he could make himself part of that.  
  
"But I don't know if Benot will like that," Chi-Chi said. "He really doesn't like you."  
  
Benot.  
  
"I am sure that we can work something out," he said. He wasn't too sure about that. "Thanks mom. I feel a lot better now."  
  
She smiled brightly at him. "Any time."  
  
After the tournament. After Krad was no longer an issue in any one lives anymore, he would be able to get closer to her. I made sense. He would get ready for that tournament and he would make sure that Krad, was not going to be a problem.  
  
............  
  
"What?"  
  
Pan bit her lip.  
  
"But I thought..." Trunks whispered. "Weren't you..."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"How...?"  
  
"You know how!" She snapped.  
  
He looked down at the box that was in his jacket pocket. This was not how he wanted to give it to her but it was as good a time as any. He pulled the box out and handed it to her without another word.  
  
"What is it?" She said, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the box.  
  
He just nudged it a bit closer. "I bought it yesterday."  
  
She took it from his hand and opened it. He loved how her eyes grew wide.  
  
"I meant that I will never find a more perfect woman for me," he said. "I was going to ask you sooner, but your brother sabotaged that attempt."  
  
She took it out of the box and admired the ring and slipped it on her finger. He was very happy to see that it fit.  
  
"So? Will you?" he said.  
  
"Duh! Of course that I will!" She said and threw his arms around him and gave him a big kiss. He held her close.  
  
"We can get married right away," he said, "and then we can get our own place where it can just be you and me. Well, for a little while anyway."  
  
"Yes. After the tournament," she said.  
  
"What?" He looked her as if she were crazy. "You can't be thinking of fighting in it in your condition!"  
  
"Why the hell not?" she said.  
  
"Well, you can hurt the baby."  
  
"This kid is your and mine. It will be strong enough to handle a tournament full of weaklings," she said.  
  
"But..."  
  
"I AM fighting in the tournament. I trained to hard not too," she said.  
  
"But..."  
  
"If I have to fight Soyna, I will concede the tournament. She is, after all, my only really opponent and she wouldn't really hurt me anyway." Pan said.  
  
He looked at the determined look on her face. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind, as much as he knew that he would be arguing with her until the tournament. She would get her way. It seemed that way in his family. Why did he have to fall in love with such a head strong woman?  
  
............  
  
  
"Two weeks," Goten mumbled. He hadn't seen Soyna in that length of time. He had tried too, but she was always doing something with her boys now. Taking them to the circus, or to the park, or just being with them. Vegeta seemed grumpy that she was not practicing enough.  
  
He spent a lot of time with Junior who seemed happy that his sister was now spending a lot more time with her boys and was not training so hard. He mentioned that he was concerned over the burns that she had on her hands and legs but Raymond assured him that she was going to be okay. He didn't know about how he stopped her from powering up to an impossible level. He was sure that they would not be friends anymore if he knew about it.  
  
Then he saw her with Benot on her back, and holding onto Legen's hand as they walked into the house. They were all wearing hiking clothes, they must have gone for a walk in the mountains.  
  
She looked so stunning. At first, he didn't know what was different about her, but then he realized what it was. Her hair. She had cut it. It was now only reaching to her chin, a little longer in the back, but much shorter than her waist length hair that she had before. It looked good, but then, he doubted that much would look not good on her.  
  
She gave him a look and walked past him with a half asleep Benot and an excited looking Legen.  
  
Junior saw how he was looking at his sister.  
  
He couldn't help it.  
  
Junior had to slap him to get his attention back.  
  
"What?" he said and rubbed his cheek.  
  
"You are supposed to be concentrating on this assignment, not my sister!" He growled. "Next week, we won't have any homework to deal with but we have to get this done."  
  
"Sorry," he said. But, how could he not think of her? After the tournament. Just one more week. They would all be ready for Krad and then, he could act on the feelings he had for her and hopefully, she would not be so brash with him.  
  
...........  
  
There we go... the next chapter...  
Tournament is next... I promise... anyway... Enjoy. Review.... And I will get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can.  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	23. 

  
  
Here we go.... The tournament!!!   
  
  
  
  
C-25  
  
Tournament Beginning  
  
  
  
  
The air of the coliseum was filled with excitement. He could almost taste it in the air. The place was absolutely crowded. He even saw the new kid there and he looked like he was competing, not that he stood a chance.  
  
He looked over to his sister who was looking tensely around, as if Krad would just be standing amongst the people. It sure would be easier if that were the case. He doubted very much that he would make his appearance so early in the tournament. He would want to test the strength of the people on this planet first before he decided whether or not that he wanted to take it over or destroy it.  
  
The boys were already bouncing with the excitement and asking if they could have cotton candy. They didn't really understand why their mother was so tense when all this excitement was going on around them.  
  
Gohan was the one that they could wait to load themselves up with sugar until after lunch. It was too early for junk food. He knew that they would find a way to get some before then as they looked around the crowd of competing fighters.  
  
He found himself following his sister glares. The uniforms of the 'officials' were that of Krad's men. He recognized the colors and style but he did not recognize any one in the uniforms. Not yet anyway. Goten didn't seem to recognize any one either and didn't acknowledge the uniforms until he mentioned it to him. "They didn't look like that when we met them, the colors were the same, but the must have changed the style."   
  
Goten's gaze was concentrated on his sister not on his opponents. He didn't like that all that much. He wasn't sure what was going on between them too, but he was sure that if anyone else had ripped her shirt off in battle, he would have been dead.  
  
............  
  
Goten couldn't help but look at her. She walked so tensely and she was so alert. She had her new short hair tied back in a tight braid. She wasn't wearing her normal training clothes, which was another thing that shocked him.   
She usually wore such baggy clothes or at least a baggy shirt over her tight green battle suit. Here, she was wearing the green battle suit with a snug black shirt tied off at the waist over top that left nothing to the imagination. He had never seen her wear anything like that before. Her feet were in a black pair of boots with golden tips and she wore a pair of snug gloves over her hands. She looked really nice. She looked like a fighter.  
  
She was tense though. Her green eyes were narrow and she was examining the surroundings, wondering if there was going to be a sneak attack, he was sure of it. He knew that he should be looking out for similar things, but he found that he was so easily distracted by her.  
  
It had been a couple of weeks since he had had a dream about her. He thought that part of his infatuation was over, but seeing her like this...  
  
Of course, Vegeta was right beside her in his tight blue battle suit. He wasn't wearing the armor that went with it like he used to. He thought himself as too strong to deal with such a petty piece of armor anymore. He walked with his arms crossed and his eyes examining the crowd.  
  
Goten caught a few glares off Vegeta and Goten quickly turned his attention away from Soyna when he saw that. He didn't want to get him mad. He didn't want to get in a scuffle before the tournament even began. He knew that Vegeta was entering the tournament now. He knew that he could probably match Vegeta in strength, but he was not as quick as he was. Vegeta had gotten a lot quicker than he remembered before. But then, that came from battling with Soyna all the time. He still couldn't match her level of speed.  
  
He then saw Trunks and Pan arrive. Pan was registering and Trunks looked as if he was trying to stop her. He noticed that the two had been fighting a lot lately. He hoped nothing was wrong with between them. He hoped that their relationship would last longer than that. He could see his brother was happy with the disagreement though.  
  
They found a spot to gather and waited for the announcement of who would be battling whom.  
  
............  
  
"She is here," Soyna said.  
  
Junior looked at his sister. He knew whom she meant. He could tell by the tension in her voice and how the leather of her gloves creaked as she clutched them into fists.  
  
"I will make sure that she does not advance."  
  
He hoped that she would not kill her outright.  
  
............  
  
Trunks sat in silence beside Pan. She happily greeted Marron as she approached them. Krillen approached Gohan and they started to talk, but 18 stood a bit back.  
  
Dad still didn't care for her but tolerated her, but he knew that Soyna's dislike was even more prominent. After all, she was raised on horrible android stories most of her life.  
  
Trunks felt miserable. He had threatened to tell Gohan about her pregnancy so that she wouldn't fight. He knew that it would most likely mean that he would be hospitalized for a while but Gohan could make her stop. But she threatened right back, where it hurt the most. He made her promise to be careful and that afterward they would tell everyone that they were going to get married. She promised that. Then he made her promise that she would never do anything like this again and that he would never forgive her if the baby was hurt because she had to fight. She laughed. "Our family is to strong to worry about that," she said but he still made her promise.  
  
He cancelled an out-of-town meeting that was rather important (and that he didn't tell his mother about) so that he could watch over her. He didn't want her to get hurt. He didn't want their child to get hurt. He knew that Gohan was glaring at him for touching her and standing close to her, but he didn't care. He felt that he had a lot at stake here, not just getting revenge on Krad for something that happened in another time, for a daughter that was not really his.  
  
His life was on the line and it was all in Pan.  
  
............  
  
The first matches were announced.  
  
Goten was one of the first to fight. None were really surprised. He won easily. No one thought that was going to be a problem. It was over rather quickly.  
  
The morning matches went well, they were all matched with weaker opponents, which they took care of easily. Vegeta made a comment as he walked into the ring about being forced to fight someone who was not worthy of his time.  
  
Soyna had yet to fight.  
  
He was worried about her. She set to pacing and only Legen seemed to be able to calm her down enough to get her to sit down as long as he was with her. "Don't worry mom. Your turn will come soon." Legen said as he stuffed his mouth with cotton candy that he somehow acquired the money for.  
  
She just ruffled his hair and watched the current match in her usual stoic manner.  
  
............  
  
Goten was done his second match by the time it was for Soyna's first. He didn't win as quickly, but he did that on purpose. He didn't want to get his opponents to scared of him; or else he would not be able to get a good fight out of anyone!  
  
He anxiously was ready to watch Soyna fight. He knew this should be a really quick match until he saw how she was looking at her opponent. She looked like she was ready to kill her.  
  
Junior looked worried too.  
  
"I have never seen her look that way," Goten said. "What is with her?"  
  
Junior bit his lip. "She resembles someone that she didn't care for back in our time."  
  
Goten didn't need to be told anything else. He knew immediately who she was. She hoped that Soyna wouldn't kill her.  
  
The referee announced the start.  
  
The opponent was a tall thin woman, with very sharp features on her face and colorless eyes, her hair pulled sharply from her face in a pony tail. She didn't look that strong but she did look quick. Soyna would have no problems destroying her and that surely was the problem. They didn't want to escalate the tournament into a war to quickly. They wanted to know what Krad was up to before they let him know whom they were really against.  
  
The thin woman attacked first and Soyna easily dodged, grabbed the back of her neck, and threw her out of the ring. Her opponent smashed into a pillar, which quickly crumbled on top of her. He could feel Soyna struggling to keep her energy in check as she took some deep breaths trying to calm herself. The referee announced the winner and Soyna walked out of the ring, ignoring the shocked look at such a small woman could do such a move.  
  
She had certainly made a name for herself.  
  
He went to her side and put a hand on her arm, which she quickly pulled away. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.  
  
"Fine," she hissed and looked over her shoulder at the woman. He could feel a wave of heat coming off her body. He grabbed her arm securely. She turned and looked as if she were about to yell at him but he was able to speak first. "This is not the time. Do you want to give yourself away so early?" She took a few more deep breaths and then seemed to calm down.  
  
"You can let go now," Vegeta's voice rang behind him, causing him to jump and let go of her arm. He smiled at Vegeta who glared at him and then walked away.  
  
When he turned back to Soyna, she was being attacked by her boys, who were calling that match 'cool' and could she teach them how to do that trick too.  
  
............  
  
Trunks could hardly watch Pan in the ring. She won, easily enough, but he still didn't like seeing her in the ring and the woman that she was fighting with looked awful strong and big compared to Pan.  
  
He didn't know how he was going to handle tomorrow, when the winners would be eliminating each other from the tournament.  
  
............  
  
Junior was surprised. The new kid was fighting pretty well. He won all his matches with the same ease that they did. He did not expect that to happen at all. After all, he was so easy to push around in gym class.  
  
He almost wished that he could enter the tournament just to see how strong he was, but he was sure that they would find out tomorrow. One of them would have to fight him eventually. Plus, his eyes would not let him advance that far. He had such a hard time following quick movements, he wouldn't last very long.  
  
He went even to congratulate him and shook his hand. Goten joined him. He was after all, from their same school and they didn't even know that he was going to compete.  
  
Then he saw his sister glaring at him. He was wondering what he did now or was it something Goten did. She then quickly turned away and went to join Pan and Trunks who were waiting for the next call.  
  
............  
  
The last fight of the day was Soyna and another fighter, a strong looking woman. Soyna walked into the ring unfazed and ready to humiliate another opponent.  
  
Goten watched from opposite of Vegeta. It was just safer on the other side of the ring. He stood by his niece and Trunks who were whispering about something.  
  
He concentrated on the two figures in the battle. The opponent looked like she was determined to win. He thought he heard her say, "You won't defeat me as easily as you defeated my sister."  
  
Soyna just pulled her gloves tighter and waited for the referee to say the official go.  
  
Soyna decided that she was going to strike the first blow in this fight. She lunged right at her, grabbing at her opponent's arm and trying to swing her around.   
  
Soyna was not expecting her to be able to fight back from her attack and allowed her self to power up further to gain the upper hand. The fight finished in under five minutes, but that was the longest fight they any of them had in the day.  
  
Soyna looked disgusted at herself as she walked out of the ring. He so wanted to talk to her, but Vegeta was already by her side. He didn't dare go near her with Vegeta there.  
  
"She underestimated her," he heard Trunks say as he watched her walk out.  
  
"She sure doesn't give off a normal strength signature," Goten said. She didn't feel that strong either that would cause Soyna a whole lot of problems in the battle.  
  
"They never did," Trunks sighed and squeezed the hand of Pan a lot tighter. She didn't seem to notice.  
  
He was going to ask her if they were doing okay together and if there was something wrong between them but then thought better of it. He had no right to poke in there or else Trunks would surely be poking in where he wasn't ready to talk about things yet.  
  
"What went wrong?" Pan said more to herself. "How can they hide how strong they are?"  
  
That must be it. They somehow were able to disguise their powers. None of them could be as strong as they were. When they were on the planet, they had no reason to disguise how strong they were. Did they?  
  
............  
  
Day one was over. No one was hurt. Everyone had won. Day two was coming way to quickly.  
  
The boys were still overly hyped on sugar that they had been eating all day and were talking a mile a minute to each other as they ran around the park with a fresh supply of sugar in their hands - ice cream.  
  
Soyna was sitting off by herself, looking like she was in deep thought about something. Trunks could see that Goten was thinking of approaching her and was slightly scared to do so. Did it still have to do with him tearing off her shirt? He didn't know. He looked over to Pan who was now talking to Bra who had joined them. Pan was starting to look tired and he was tempted to take her home, but little annoying Fry won out on the going to the park to get ice cream. Not that they needed the sugar. He knew the only reason that Soyna remained with them was because of her boys. She hadn't been far from them lately and he was pretty sure that she was worried about them. She didn't have to say it, he could see that much of her.  
  
He turned back to looked at Soyna was surprised to see Goten sitting next to her. She wasn't looking at him, but he could see that she was listening to whatever he was saying.  
  
Trunks ate his own ice cream and watched them.  
  
Soyna ran her hands through her now loosened hair and looked at Goten who was now looking away from her. She said something and he looked up sharply. He wished he could hear them, but there was too much noise for him to hear.  
  
"Trunks!"  
  
He turned to see Pan shaking her head at him. She had a large grin on her face.  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are we ready to go now? Tomorrow is going to be a much harder day than today," she said.  
  
He nodded and was about to call Goten to help him round up the brats but stopped cold when he saw how they were looking at each other. Goten had his hand on her shoulder now and he looked like he was contemplating leaning into her... could he be going for a kiss?  
  
She didn't seem to be upset by him being so close and they looked like nothing else in the world mattered. Goten was looking at her the way that he looked at Pan.  
  
Goten and Soyna? Unbelievable. Hell, Soyna and anybody was unbelievable.  
  
It was a quick moment that was quickly ruined by Benot, (what a kid) who charged between them and tackled his mother with a big hug. "Can't we stay out a little later!"  
  
Goten looked really mad as he was forced to back off from her. Soyna took a moment to recover. "No. I need to get all that sugar off your face and we have to be back early in the morning to fight again." She wiped her son's face with a grin. She didn't look back at Goten and that seemed to upset him.  
  
"You don't need to worry mom. I know you are going to win. You always do," Benot said. "I don't understand why everyone is so worried." He had such confidence in his mother.  
  
They soon all went their separate ways. He would have to talk to Goten to see what his intentions were with his daughter... well, his OTHER selves daughter, but he wanted to know either way.  
  
Maybe that was why dad was so mad lately?  
  
He scooped up Fry under one arm who was protesting wildly as he did so. Pan just chuckled as he piled them into the car and took everyone home.  
  
...............  
  
Trunks never knew that being nervous could be so draining. The day with Pan fighting in the tournament had been nerve racking and he was exhausted as he walked in the door and was glad to hear quiet. The boys must be in bed and he didn't sense his dad anywhere. He must be sleeping or resting somewhere.  
  
Quiet.  
  
He didn't expect to see Soyna still awake. She was sitting in her usual chair where she usually looked at that photo album but she wasn't looking at the album, she was staring at the wall.  
  
"Soyna?"  
  
She jumped. Jumped! Her eyes quickly focused on him. "What?" A sharp response. He could guess what was bothering her.  
  
"Why are you still up?" he asked.  
  
She looked away and didn't respond. Typical. He was going to bring it up anyway. He wasn't going to let her off that easy.  
  
"Is it about Goten?"  
  
She visibly twitched, but tried to hide it.  
  
"It is," he said and sat across from her. "I saw you two in the park together. You just about let him kiss you."  
  
"I should never had let him get close," she whispered.  
  
"What is wrong with that?" he said. She looked at his with an angered look. "He likes you obviously. You can give him a chance."  
  
"I have to many other things to worry about than if he likes me or not," she said but seemed pleased to hear someone confirming it.  
  
"I know. I know. Krad and making sure you get to kill him, blah, blah, blah," Trunks said. "You can't put your life on hold because of your past."  
  
She glared at him. "What do you know of my past!"  
  
"Not much," he confessed, "But it seems that you have talked a lot to Goten about yours." She tensed up. He guessed right. "Everyone needs somebody."  
  
"I don't need anyone," she whispered. Her voice was not that convincing though.  
  
"Everyone does. Hell, even my father finally realized that a long time ago. Why can't you admit it," Trunks said.  
  
She sat there in silence for a bit.  
  
"You don't want to regret not letting him in to your life later on, when it is to late," Trunks whispered. "I am lucky that I finally got Pan. I was blind to a lot of things before that. I know that not many people like it, but it is what makes me feel whole right now."  
  
She nodded. She hugged herself. "I just... I have the boys," she said gently. "I have to worry about them too."  
  
"Goten would never hurt you," Trunks said. He could see the pain etched in her face. Was that what she fearing. Loosing someone else.  
  
"I know that he would never do that," she said sharply and stood. "I just don't want to hurt him." Then she walked out.  
  
What did she mean by that?  
  
...............  
  
  
Well, there we go... I know you all hate me for dragging on the G/S thing. I can't help it. Soyna isd a tough one to crack and it doesn't help that I am an evil writer to boot. Day 2 of the tournament is coming next. A lot can happen in a day...  
  
Soyna.  
  
  
  
  



	24. 

Tada! Here is yet another entry. Day 2.... Oooooh.... Anyway. Enjoy the writ and I will hurry with the Day 3 which you will all be anxiously waited for I am sure....   
  
  
  
C-26  
  
  
Day Two  
  
  
  
Vegeta grumbled as he looked at the extremely distracted Soyna.  
  
He had no doubt in his mind why she was so nervous. It wasn't just about the fact that she knew that Krad was around. He had heard his son talking with Soyna last night. He didn't like the conversation. He didn't like the gist of it at all because it confirmed what he had been seeing in that boy every time he looked at her. He had hoped that she was oblivious to Goten's looks but it seemed they had infected her.  
  
She was not pushing him away!  
  
"You can't expect her to be alone forever," Bulma had said to him, when he lay in bed unable to sleep. "No one deserves that."  
  
He hated it when she did that. When she would just look at him and know what he was thinking. It was annoying as hell. He didn't say anything as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.  
  
But Goten!  
  
He had already lost his son to on of that weakling's bloodline and he didn't want to loose another, especially Soyna.  
  
But then, it wasn't his choice to make but he sure as hell wasn't going to let his voice go unheard.  
  
............  
  
Pan really didn't feel that well. There was no way she was going to tell Trunks that she was experiencing the wonders of 'morning sickness.' He would go into his over protective mood as smooth as that and she really was not in the mood for a fight. She had been shocked when he threatened to tell her father about her condition to get her to stop competing in the tournament but she quickly beat him down on that one.  
  
On one level she enjoyed the fact that he was always worrying about her but at the same time, she didn't need to be protected that much.  
  
She noticed that today, his attention seemed to be more on Soyna though. He seemed to be watching her closely, as if he were looking for something. She decided not to ask. She would find out sooner or later and if it kept his mind off the fact that she was in the tournament for a little bit, all the better.  
  
She also noticed that Goten was paying a lot of attention to her as well. Everyone seemed to be overly worried about her but they were the most prominent.  
  
Soyna was jumpy that was for sure. When her name was called for the next match, she looked like she was going to jump out of her skin! She was totally focused in the ring though and didn't have the problems like she did her last match the other day. She seemed more determined in the ring now, as her eyes constantly were scanning the crowd, looking for the man that she hated.  
  
She sure wished that Krad would make his appearance soon enough so that they would all know what was going on and get on with their lives.  
  
She mentally slapped herself. She was started to sound like her grandmother.  
  
............  
  
Goten didn't know how to approach her without seeming like a jerk or a love sick jerk. Either way, he felt like a dope.  
  
He had almost kissed her. He was so close and then Benot had to jump in. The kid had the worst timing and from the look on his face it was almost planned.  
  
He had hardly slept because of that. She was going to let him kiss her and it wasn't just on the forehead it would have been on her soft lips. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.  
  
He knew that he should be concentrating on looking for Krad. He shouldn't be worrying about if Soyna would ever let him get that close again. He should not be worried about if she will let him into her life after this mess is over but that was all that his mind would let him focus on.  
  
The fate of the world was in their hands and all he could think about was Soyna.  
  
She looked so nervous and tense today. Her matches went off without a hitch, as did his. She even allowed herself to power up a bit in a couple. Her eyes kept looking at the cameras that were placed around the place and at the high observation booths. He wondered if she could sense him.  
  
He couldn't sense him at all. He thought it was because he was being so distracted by her but he knew better. Krad was in hiding and biding his time in coming out. He would come out of the shadows in time to announce his big plans.  
  
He looked over to where was sitting with her boys.  
  
What did he have to do to get her attention?  
  
Then he felt the glare of Vegeta. He looked really mad at him over something but he just walked over to Soyna and sat down beside her and the boys without so much of a word.  
  
He was protecting her. Very much the same way that he used to protect Bra but Bra had inherited her mother's mouth and that would cause him to back off. Soyna didn't do that. She didn't seem to mind his constant watch.  
  
He sighed deeply as he tried to force himself to look elsewhere. There was Junior but he was busy talking with Marron who was blatantly flirting with him and he certainly seemed to be enjoying it.  
  
He smirked at the thought of that. Marron and Junior. If 18 still had all her circuits, she certainly would blow them over that one. He was also quite certain that Soyna wouldn't like it all that much. He chuckled at that thought.  
  
He wished that his dad were here. Then he would know that everything would turn out right. They would win. With dad, you couldn't not win. Dad just knew what to do. Dad was always there to make sure that everything turned out right in the end, even in that meant that he was the one that had to sacrifice himself to do so.  
  
He knew that he was strong and so was Gohan and all the rest. But Dad was always the one that seemed to know what to do.  
  
If only Krad would show himself and then they could get this whole drawn out mess over with!  
  
............  
  
Gohan arrived late with Fry in tow. Fry already seemed to know where he was going and what he was doing. "Pan should be fighting soon dad. Come on. Hurry up. We don't want to miss it!" As he was dragged along by his son.  
  
Gohan had nothing against his daughter entering this farce of a tournament but that would mean that he would have to see her with Trunks and he had no desire to see that.  
  
"Dad!" Fry said impatiently as they went through the crowd.  
  
He got by the ring in time to see Pan step into the ring with Marron. He knew that his daughter could easily win against her.  
  
She looked so tired and he was certain that it was all Trunk's fault and he would make Trunks pay for it later, but he would watch his little girl battle in the way that he taught her to fight.  
  
The match started. He found himself standing by Trunks, even though he didn't want too. He looked worried about her as they fought in the ring. Marron had been training hard the last little while, but she would never match the strength of a Saiyian.  
  
The fight started off slow and then began to pick up pace.  
  
Krillin cheered loudly for his little girl.  
  
The pace grew faster. People were looking at the two women fighters in awe.  
  
"Watch out Pan!" Trunks yelled at her but she was paying attention. Did he think that his daughter suddenly forgot how to defend herself? She was fully capable of winning this battle. Marron didn't have the years of training that Pan had. He saw Trunks nervously look over at him and then back at the battle.  
  
Good. He had every right to be nervous.  
  
Marron landed a blow against Pan's jaw that sent her off balance.  
  
"PAN!" He found himself yelling in synch with Trunks. How did Marron manage to land that blow?  
  
Krillin cheered for his daughter.  
  
Pan was able to recover quickly and was able to return a kick into Marron's stomach. He smiled. Just a lucky shot. That was all.  
  
He could feel both their power levels rising. He knew that for the short while that she was training with Soyna she had been trying to achieve Super Saiyian, but she never told him if she reached it. Hell, if Soyna could reach it, it was purely possible that she should too. He was sure that she would have told him, if she could reach such a level. He was sure that he would have felt it.  
  
Pan's attacks became more vicious and Marron was on the defense, unable to stop the onslaught that was coming at her. He was sure that this fight would be over soon.  
  
"Careful!" Trunks whispered under his breath. When did Trunks start to think that she was so fragile?  
  
"Kick her butt sis!" Fry yelled. "Yeah! Knock it to her!" He bounced in front of him.   
  
Gohan frowned. He had to find some other friends than Benot and Legen. They were such a bad influence on his son. Fry mimicked his sister's moves with as little grace as possible. Fry never showed any desire to fight or to be that aggressive. He never pushed it either. There were enough fighters around that they didn't have to worry about another one and he was young yet. He had time to learn later. Gohan was sure that he would be a natural fighter if he just had a little bit of training. He had strong enough blood flowing through his veins.  
  
The fight continued and suddenly it looked like Marron had the upper hand. Marron grabbed a hold of one of Pan's wrist and threw her down on the mat with a sickening thud. Trunks took a step towards the ring.  
  
"GET UP!" Fry yelled at his sister. He never thought that Fry had such an interest in his sister. Usually they stayed away from each other. A distance that he gave to equal the difference in their ages. "You can't let a weakling beat you!"  
  
Oh, yeah and much too much time around Vegeta, as well.  
  
............  
  
  
Trunks bit his lip and watched Pan being thrown to the mat. He so desperately wanted to jump in there and throw Marron out of the ring. He wanted to protect the one person that was now his life.  
  
But at the same time, he knew that if he jumped in that ring, she would find horrible ways of torturing him, such as not allowing him to sneak into her room at night or worse, her not coming to his.  
  
He was also very aware of the Gohan's glare but he was concentrating on the battle now and thought little of it. Pan should not be having such a hard time with Marron. She was not that strong. They all knew that.  
  
He knew that it had to do with the baby. It had too. It was taking to much of her energy for her to fight properly. What he was afraid off. He had seen how tired his sister had become, but then she never trained or fought, so she was not a good guide to go by. He could have asked Soyna, but that was not something that he would ask of her. Especially, since he was sure that he would figure out why she wanted her to answer that question. Was that why Krad beat them so easily? She couldn't power up at all?  
  
He would ask later.  
  
His biggest concern was that she was loosing to Marron and he had a bad feeling that he was going to get blamed for it.  
  
............  
  
  
Vegeta was very aware of the fact that Pan was loosing her fight to a weakling human. He could see how anxious his son was. He could guess what the reason was, but he didn't need to say it. It was written all over Trunk's face. He was not one that was good at hiding his emotions.  
  
He looked over to Soyna who seemed to be content pondering a boy with white hair and almost as white skin.  
  
"Does he look familiar?" he asked.  
  
She nodded her head. "I can't place him though," she whispered. "I don't remember if he is part of Krad's group. He is not wearing a uniform like the other ones."  
  
He was just a boy. He couldn't sense any great power off of him. He wondered why she was worrying about him. The boy had advanced quite far in the tournament but he had yet to challenge one of them. No one could beat them.  
  
The winner of Marron and Pan's match was announced.  
  
Pan lost.  
  
Marron stood in the ring looking stunned.  
  
Pan should not have lost to her and Marron obviously did not plan on winning against Pan.  
  
Trunks and Gohan had rushed into the ring; both were trying to help Pan up as she had trouble getting up from the last of Marron's blows.  
  
Krillin ran in and congratulated his daughter who was still standing there in disbelieve.  
  
The Trunks and Gohan situation was much more interesting. Pan looked confused as she looked at from her father to Trunks as they were talking over her and each holding an arm. It looked like those two would get into a fight at any moment. The referee was the one that broke them up.  
  
Both, were not that eager to part with Pan, but she shook him off and then was confronted by her brother. Fry summed it up in his loud voice. "How could Pan loose to that!"  
  
Indeed.  
  
............  
  
Goten bit his lip. Vegeta had finally left Soyna's side and he quickly darted in and sat by her. She was not paying attention to him. She was looking at the new kid warming up for a match.  
  
"Hey," he said. He felt really really stupid.  
  
She gave him a quick glance but then resumed her watching.  
  
"I wanted you to talk about what happened last night," he said.  
  
"Nothing happened, therefore, there is nothing to talk about," she said.  
  
Nothing happened? He just about kissed her and nothing happened. It hurt to hear her say that.  
  
She looked back at him. "Don't give me those puppy eyes of yours," she said sharply. "Nothing happened."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I am trying to figure out where I have seen that kid before," she snapped and pointed to the new kid.  
  
"Oh, that's Ligh. He's been at our school for a month or so. Maybe you saw him when you came by that one day." Goten said.  
  
She humped. "Maybe," she said.  
  
He wanted to get back on topic. He was pretty sure that she was going to let him kiss him. That was not nothing! He couldn't hardly sleep at night thinking about how that kiss would have felt. He could still smell her on his sheets even though they had been laundered a long time ago. He knew it was his imagination, but he didn't care. He had held her for a little while. She snuggled up to him and then she tells him that kiss was nothing. He didn't think so.  
  
"You can't just say that that moment didn't mean anything to you," he said in a whisper and sat really close to her. She didn't move away, for that he was grateful. "You can't say that I don't mean anything to you." He knew this was a huge chance he was taking. He knew that he should wait until the tournament was over. He knew that she would not be dwelling on Krad then and could think clearly about him, but he couldn't help himself. His dreams wouldn't let him stop thinking about her.  
  
She looked back at him. She looked as if she was unsure of what to say.  
  
"You don't have to answer me now," he said quickly. He didn't want a rejection. "You can answer me later. I just want you to know that I do care and I can't help it. I know that..." he sighed deeply. He felt like an idiot saying all this stuff. "I can be by your side," he said after a moment of silence. That should sum it up nicely. He hoped.  
  
She looked away for a moment and then looked back at him.  
  
"I don't need help," she whispered.  
  
"I know," he said, "that is not what I am saying. I will be by your side, no matter what."  
  
She stared at him. He looked down at his lap. He waited for her to say something, but she didn't. This was one of those time that he wished that she was a lot more vocal than she was.  
  
Her hand touched his, a gently squeeze. He looked at her and smiled. She gave him a gentle smile. Like how she looked when he had the opportunity to kiss her but was foiled by the vile little Benot.  
  
"No rush," he said in a low voice.  
  
She pulled her hand away and then walked off as her name was announced for the next match.  
  
Was that good? It felt good? He felt all light headed and tingly. He hoped that he was reading her signals right.  
  
............  
  
Pan escaped to the women's washroom to get away from her father and Trunks. They were out right squabbling over her and neither of them was logical. They were far from it. They were both acting like children!  
  
She sighed at looked at herself in the mirror and patted her still flat stomach. She didn't think the kid would drain so much of her power this early on. She certainly didn't think she would loose to Marron.  
  
Marron wouldn't make it past Soyna though. That much Pan knew.  
  
But she was out of the tournament now. She was out for the count and now, she had to tell her father why she was unable to fight at her best. She could think of no way of telling dad without Trunks getting hurt.  
  
She sighed and then went back out into the turmoil that her life had become.  
  
............  
  
Goten had never been so glad to have a day over in his life!  
  
Not that any of his fights were difficult. He knew the one with Vegeta was coming up soon and he would be beaten to a pulp, but he was expecting that.  
  
He had to find Soyna!  
  
............  
  
"Are you sure they went this way," Legen said to his brother.  
  
"Yes, I am sure," he said. "That idiot has been stalking mom for the last little while and I won't tolerate it anymore!" Benot said as they walked around the outside of the building.  
  
"Ah, come on. Goten hasn't been stalking her," Legen said. "I don't know why you have such a grudge against him. He treats us right. Hell, he taught us how to fly. How can you still hate him." Legen said as he walked slowly behind him.  
  
"Will you hurry up!" Benot complained.  
  
"Plus, he wouldn't be that bad of a guy for mom to get involved with. I mean, he is strong enough," Legen said. Benot smacked his brother across the back of the head.  
  
"I do not want him to be our surrogate father. Yuck!" Benot said.  
  
"Our father is dead. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone around that can make mom stop being grumpy?" Legen said rubbing the back of his head. "That hurt, you know."  
  
"Good. And NO! Especially that long haired freak!" Benot said. "I don't want him anywhere near mom! I like having mom all to ourselves."  
  
"But..."  
  
Legen received another smack across the back of the head. "OWW!"  
  
They both stopped.  
  
They both stood there stunned for a moment.  
  
Then Benot screamed and covered his eyes.  
  
............  
  
  
  
  
Ohhh... a cliff hanger.... Where the hell is that pesky Krad? The last day of the tournament is tomorrow! Will he make his appearance? He better! Will Pan tell Gohan about her little predicament? What the hell shocked the monster twins? And this Krad fellow, don't you think he is taking his sweet sweet time...!!  
  
As the world turns.... You know the rest...  
  
  
Soyna  



	25. 

  
Here it is. Day 3!!!!   
  
Krad finally makes an appearance! I posted this as quickly as I finished it so that I won't loose my loyal fans who have threatened me to stop review my stories if I don't hurry. **sniff** Anyway.  
  
Krad finally show up!!!!   
  
I don't think I need to add anymore.  
  
  
  
C-27  
  
Day 3  
  
  
  
Goten nursed his new black eye and swollen jaw, courtesy of Vegeta. He really showed no mercy in the ring and Goten had expected that, but he didn't really have to try to kill him.  
  
It was Benot's fault again. If he hadn't over reacted and just kept his mouth shut, Vegeta wouldn't have humiliated him so quickly in the ring. He acted as if his life was over and that it was all going to end now by seeing him kissing Soyna.  
  
Now he admits that it wasn't the most romantic kiss in the world. She had been walking away from him, saying that she needed to be alone but he was refusing to let her be alone. He could tell that his following her was annoying her but he didn't care. He grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall and before she could protest, he kissed her.  
  
It was turning out to be a nice kiss. The kiss was getting deeper and he could feel her body relaxing: that was until Benot screamed.  
  
Vegeta stood there smug, he had one more fight to go. The new kid, Ligh, but he was sure to win that and then it was over.  
  
He was hoping to test himself against Ligh, but the way the names were drawn, he was doomed to fight Vegeta. He was doomed to have faced Vegeta's wraith sooner or later. He guessed it was better sooner than the later.  
  
............  
  
Pan sat next to Bra as they watched the last of the matches go. They watched as Soyna easily beat Marron who seemed disappointed at such an easy loss after the confidence booster of beating Pan.  
  
Soyna had one more fight to go and she looked more focused that she had ever seen her. Her eyes were constantly going to the dark windows of the observation booth and to the cameras.  
  
She knew Krad was there. She said that she didn't sense him, but she was sure that Soyna was hiding the fact that she knew he was here. She wanted him to show himself. She wanted him to be overconfident.  
  
Pan sighed heavily.  
  
"I can't believe that you lost to Marron," Bra said as she munched on her food and then that evil smile grew on her face. "Of course, it was even more of a shocker when you told me 'why' you lost." She laughed slightly.  
  
"I haven't told dad yet Bra!" Pan said. "I don't need him angrier at Trunks than he already is."  
  
Bra just laughed a bit more. "You won't be able to hide it for much longer," Bra said patting her own enlarged stomach.   
  
Pan groaned. "I know," she said. "He's been watching me like a hawk. I am going to have to tell him sooner or later but I would like Trunks to be around when the baby is born."  
  
Bra laughed again. "Don't you love our families. When we have to worry about our fathers getting to emotional over us all the time and if they are going to kill the ones we love. Well, at least Trunks has a chance of defending himself against Gohan. Raymond didn't have a chance in hell."  
  
Pan groaned. "Oh, yeah. That's just great."  
  
............  
  
Vegeta looked at the scrawny kid that he was about to fight. He had seen him fight earlier but he was hardly worth noticing. He had seen Goten and Junior talking to him from time to time, a fellow classmate. The kid didn't have a chance against his superior strength and speed.  
  
He looked to the sidelines and saw Goten with an ice bag on the side of his face. That was good. Soyna stood beside him. That was bad. Benot was between them. That was good. That boy would keep them apart, that was for sure. Soyna was looking distracted. That was not good. He needed her to focus.  
  
"You are in for a surprise," the kid said.  
  
He looked to the kid. "Yeah, right," he said and allowed himself to power up slightly.  
  
"This is going to be the fight of you life," the kid taunted again. "I am a lot stronger than I look."  
  
Who the hell did this kid think he was? Threatening him? Trying to unnerve him? The only Saiyian left in the universe and he was trying to intimidate him? Didn't he know about his reputation? There were a few here that remembered him from past tournaments and were shocked to see him here. They were shocked that he was still around, since he had all but disappeared from the public eye.  
  
He shook his head and waiting for the annoying referee to start the battle.  
  
............  
  
He heard Soyna whisper; "I know where I saw him before now."  
  
He turned to look at her and saw her shoulder bunching up and she was allowing her power to rise. Her eyes were glowing a little eerily and he was a little scared of seeing her like that. Her tail twitched underneath her shirt and then quickly hugged her waist again. He knew it would have to be something bad to bother her so much.  
  
She looked at him briefly and then down at Benot and Legen who were sitting between them. "Watch them," she said simply. Not giving him a chance to ask her what was wrong and she was gone.  
  
The match started.  
  
............  
  
Ligh attacked first. Vegeta blocked but was amazed as the blow did push him back some. The kid had been holding back his strength from them in the past battles.  
  
He would have to be more careful.  
  
He powered up and attacked back. The speed of the fight increased and so did the power of the hits.  
  
The scrawny kid was not that bad of an opponent. He had to up his energy further to counter the attacks that were coming his way. The kid did not show this potential in the other fights.  
  
He was waiting for him.  
  
He took a quick glance over to Soyna. She was gone from her spot. That was enough to distract him enough that the kid lay a good blow to his stomach. He almost forgot himself and went to Super Saiyian but he held back. He wasn't ready to show his full strength yet. He wanted that to be a surprise and he didn't want to waist it on this kid.  
  
He forced himself to concentrate on the kid and try to determine where he got all this strength.  
  
............  
  
Junior followed his sister. He was worried about her. He could feel that she was hiding something from them. Something she just figured out. It had to involve Krad. Had too.  
  
She stopped by a door, her hand reaching to the handle. Her hand was shaking a bit. He could see it. After all of her preparation and all the pain that she went through, looking forward to this day, was she was nervous?  
  
She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again. The glow had left them, but the tension remained. She chewed her lip and reached for the handle again and this time turned it. It didn't budge right away, but she gave it another tug and the door hinges gave way.  
  
He had run up to her, but didn't stop her. She became aware of him, but she didn't say anything. She started to go up the stairs.  
  
He wanted to see his death as much as the next person, a little bit of revenge for destroying what was starting out to be a peaceful life and leaving him nearly blind. He wouldn't mind seeing Krad suffer at all.  
  
............  
  
"Where did she go?"  
  
Goten looked up at Trunks? "Who? Pan? She's over with Bra." He pointed to a spot in the stand where the two women were talking.  
  
"No, Soyna?" Trunks said. He had an uneasy feeling that he didn't much care for. It was deep in his gut and it made him uncomfortable. He could feel his muscles getting tense all over his body. The energy in the air was increasing and it wasn't a good feeling. He couldn't believe that Goten didn't feel it. The confrontation that they knew was coming, and he didn't seem to notice!  
  
Goten looked around and seemed alarmed that he couldn't see her. He dropped the ice pack from his eye and stood. He didn't know where the hell she was.  
  
Great.  
  
He felt that familiar energy. His father was getting angry at the kid in the ring. The boy with the white hair and skin was putting him through the paces and he could feel his father struggling not to go gold.  
  
How could that kid be so strong?  
  
"Do you think she saw Krad?" Goten said.  
  
Trunks nodded. He was sure of it. She must have. His gut told him that she went looking for him. "We got to find her!"  
  
He forgot about the boys that were sitting there looking at them. "Mom will be okay. She can kick anyone's butt," Benot said.  
  
Legen looked more worried than Benot.  
  
He shook his head. He should have said those things in front of them. He didn't want them to be worried about their mother. They didn't need to worry. Legen especially worried to much about her.  
  
"We'll go find her. You go over to Pan and Bra," Trunks said.  
  
"But..." Benot started to protest.  
  
"No. Go. This is no time for such things." Trunks said swiftly at his little version of himself.  
  
Benot and Legen both gave him a pouty look but they started to go, grumbling as they went. He looked back to Goten who was staring at the fight now.  
  
Everyone was in awe as they were going at it rather vigorously. Vegeta was starting to loose his cool. The energy in the ring was starting to crackle and blew out a few lights.  
  
"He's going to do it," Goten said.  
  
Trunks knew what he meant. Vegeta's hair went from black to gold in an instant and the boy was thrown back by the gust of power. The stunned referee stammered that he was the winner but the fight was no where near over.  
  
............  
  
Goten saw him first walking through the crowd toward them as the other people were running.  
  
He felt his heart start to race and the scar on his neck start to throb at the sight of Krad.  
  
He looked the same as he remembered him last.  
  
A tall man with dark hair that he had tied loosely back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was a big looking man, opposing looking figure. His clear pale green eyes were ice cold as his jaw was clenched as he walked forward, his cape whipping about him as he did so.  
  
He had not felt threatened last time that he saw Krad. Hell, he never felt threatened by anyone but Vegeta really and then, Vegeta threats were usually worse than his actual bite. Well, he never really planned on killing him anyway but he knew he was going to end up hurting.  
  
He was almost scared of Krad.  
  
Of course, he would never admit it.  
  
............  
  
He looked at her sister as she raided the room. Looking through the computers with ease. He had no idea how she knew so much about them. He couldn't understand any of the symbols that she was pressing to call up information and he had no idea if she could read the language that was there.  
  
Pictures popped up, of them and their family and of the Son family. They had been watching them for quite a while. Soyna angrily looked at the screens and papers.  
  
"He had been watching us for months! He had been here that long and I couldn't detect him!" She hissed.  
  
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure it wasn't just his men setting this up for him?"  
  
"No. It was him! He was orchestrating this all! He wanted to make sure everything went his way!" She said as she smashed the computer screen with the image of Goten and Junior on it. "He knew. He sent his son to do a lot of the scouting and once he found out that Goten was alive, it looked like he stepped things up. He was only looking for Trunks. He knows that the poison did not work on Goten! He may have made a worse one."  
  
Junior never thought of that.  
  
"This is the worse case," she whispered.  
  
"We are stronger now," Junior said. "You are able to fight this time. Things will be different this time. We know how deceiving he can be."  
  
She looked at yet another screen that had a picture of her and Vegeta on it from the tournament. She let out a low growl and shot out the monitor with a much too powerful blast.  
  
She was loosing her cool. Her teeth were clenched tightly. Her eyes were scanning the room and he watched as she stopped at one monitor and her anger seemed to increase. Her eyes threatened to water but she allowed all her anger to come forward.  
  
On that screen, was a picture of her two children.  
  
............  
  
"I thought you were dead," Krad said. He was speaking to Goten.  
  
"Well, I just about was," Goten said and protectively covered his throat as if the whip were to wrap around it again.  
  
Krad's cool eyes scanned them and then they landed on the golden haired Vegeta who was standing over the white haired boy who was struggling to get to his feet. The rest of the people where starting to scatter as they saw the signs of a real fight coming.  
  
"That is new. You didn't show us that you were that strong. Can all you halflings do such a thing?" Krad said.  
  
"I am no halfling," Vegeta growled but there was no way that he was powering down.  
  
"I am well aware of that," Krad said simply and then turned his attention back to Goten. "I was asking you if you could increase your power to such levels as well. You gave us no indication that you were that strong when you made your visit."  
  
Trunks grit his teeth. He was prying. He was trying to get them to tell them something that he didn't understand but just couldn't directly ask them.  
  
"What is the reason for your visit here then?" Trunks asked. "We still have no desire to enter your fold of men. We do not want to rule the universe as you so put it."  
  
Krad gave a laugh. "I know that he once did," Krad pointed an accusing finger at Vegeta.  
  
"Things change," was all that Vegeta said with a deep grumble.  
  
Krad seemed a bit shocked at the revelation that Vegeta was not longer looking to rule the universe. That part of his life was long gone. He would still protest that he was not the strongest in the universe, with Goku gone, but was no longer the tyrant that he once was.  
  
Krad turned back to looking at them. Trunk's was very aware of the boys standing behind them looking on with curiosity, Legen with a face full of worry and Benot trying to hide his. They had to get the boys out of here so they wouldn't get hurt and he had to get Pan out of here too. And where the hell was Soyna? She wanted this fight more than anyone else did and she wasn't even here to see him!  
  
"Come now. Do you think I would come all this way for some petty revenge?" Krad said.  
  
Goten nodded. "Well, yeah. Why else would you want too?"  
  
Krad laughed. The few of his henchmen chuckled behind him, four big brutes of men wearing the gray uniforms. They were not the same ones that he remembered seeing before, of course, they had easily beat them, before that poisonous whip wrapped around Goten's throat.  
  
Trunk's was very aware that the whip was hiding within easy reach of his hands on his waist. He was sure that there would be other poisoned things as well. He did not want that poison touching him. After all, it did kill his OTHER self and he didn't want to follow in those footsteps.  
  
"Now, now. I would hate to have to destroy you all because you will get in the way of my future plans." Krad smiled. He looked around again. "Where is the pretty red head that is always with you?" Pretty red head? Soyna? "I certainly would like to talk to that pretty woman," Krad said. "She seems to be particularly focused. I like that in a woman." He flashed a harsh wide smile.  
  
The men behind him laughed.  
  
Ligh was now on his feet and looking at Krad with a look of disgust. "Must you talk like that?"  
  
Goten looked shocked over at the boy.  
  
"Come come now," Krad said. "I don't think we have all properly been introduced. This is my son, he was away when you last visited and he never got a chance to met you."  
  
Goten stood their stunned.  
  
They looked nothing alike. There wasn't even a clue that they could be related, but then, Soyna didn't look a thing like him and she was supposed to be his OTHER selves' daughter.  
  
"I have been watching you for a long while now," Krad said simply.  
  
"We have been waited for you," Trunks said. "We knew that you would come, it was just a matter of time." He seemed shocked at that revelation. "We knew you were going to be at this tournament. We knew that you were setting everything up. We knew that you would want to make sure that Goten was dead. It must have been a shock to see him quite alive when you arrived." Trunks said.  
  
Goten stood silently, rubbing his throat. Was it hurting him again?  
  
Krad lowered his head slightly and gave out a chuckle. "It was quite a shock indeed. It should have killed you," Krad said taking a step forward. "It has always proved effective against Saiyians in the past, I didn't understand at first why you lived but then, I found out that your mother was just a human. These humans are quite resilient against my poison. It makes them ill, but it doesn't kill them unless it is huge dose unfortunately."  
  
"I would have never thought that 'you'," Krad pointing to Trunks, "were a half Saiyian as well. With your odd coloring, I didn't think it was possible! And then the son of Vegeta!" He gave out a loud laugh. "You would have been the laughing stock of all the Saiyians. If there were any left that is."  
  
Trunks looked at his father to see him gritting his teeth tightly. Krad was going after his pride. One of his fathers weaker points. He didn't move though. He had his eyes focused elsewhere also, but he sure was listening.  
  
"But your father doesn't seem to be the same as his. That I don't understand. I didn't think there were any more Saiyians around and I didn't spot any other full fledged ones on this planet, unlsess of course, Vegeta killed off your father." Krad said.  
  
He was trying to entice them. He was testing their nerve. What the hell was Krad up too? Trunks didn't like this game.  
  
Goten looked like he was about to yell at Krad about something, but Trunks cut him off.  
  
"Get to the point Krad. What do you want?"  
  
"Oh, I didn't want to come here to fight you," Krad said. "Mr. President. I think we have a lot to offer each other."  
  
"You are not going to have much of a choice!" Trunks said.  
  
"Oh. We can talk, can't we?" Krad said with a smile.  
  
Trunks didn't have to answer. He knew that there would be very little talk between them, once Soyna arrived. She had been waiting to long for this moment.  
  
An explosion from above was the answer that was received.  
  
............  
  
  
  
Wellllll wasn't that interesting...  
  
Bet you can't wait to see what happens next.  
  
Soyna  
  
  



	26. The Trap

  
Here we go again!!! Another action filled chapter. Who really has the advantage here? Read and find out... I know you have been waiting for this chapter to emerge.   
  
  
  
  
C-28 TRAP  
  
  
The explosion came from one of the highest observation booths. Krad covered himself with this cloak as he was showered with glass and debris. He could see a very angry looking Soyna standing among what was left and Junior who was looking nervously at her.  
  
She had gone gold. He hadn't seen her with this new short haircut of hers go Super Saiyian but it certainly looked different. It was certainly becoming.  
  
Even at the distance they were at, he could see that her eyes were glowing. She was angry at something she saw in that room, not just that Krad had made an appearance.  
  
The crowd grew even thinner as the few remaining gawkers ran from the stadium and to safety.  
  
She lowered her power level so that her hair feel back down into the familiar deep red. Her eyes didn't stop glaring at Krad who now uncovered himself and looked at her.  
  
His eyes looked colder than ever as he looked at her.  
  
She grabbed her brother by the arm and levitated from the ruined platform. Krad's eyes followed her. "So that is where the red headed beauty went. You sent her to destroy my little observation point."  
  
"We don't have to send her to do anything," Goten said quickly.  
  
Krad and his son both raised and eye brow at that one.  
  
"Just leave," Trunks said. "You can't possibly think you can beat us."  
  
Krad watched Soyna land and her brother nearly collapse as they landed. She was not afraid to show her power now. He could feel it just radiating off her skin. It wouldn't take much for her to loose her cool and attack. He could sense her nervousness and tension. All her old anger was coming forward and she was struggling to keep it under control.  
  
"Get them out of here now," she said pointing to her boys. "They do not need to see this!" Who was she ordering? Trunk's wasn't sure, but Junior responded as he got to his feet and started to head towards them. The boys were still hiding behind them and they didn't seem to be moving.  
  
"Oh, come now. We didn't come here to fight you," Krad said.  
  
"They why bother to test our strength. You just want to see who could get in your way, or who you could recruit. I am not as easy to fool a second time around!" She hissed and glared at her brother to move faster.  
  
Ligh was the one that responded. "Second time around? What the hell is that supposed to mean. We haven't sent anyone to this planet before! Have we father?"  
  
"No. We haven't," Krad said and still stared at her. His eyes softening and a slow smile came to his lips. "Where have we met before? I am sure I would have remembered someone of such great beauty." He took a step towards her and she took a step back. He saw the briefest look of confusion on her face but she quickly masked it by anger.  
  
He did not like the way that he was looking at her! Trunk's felt his anger rising. This was not how this was supposed to happen! He was supposed to come after them, not her! Not after his daughter. Well, his OTHER selves daughter.  
  
"It is of little consequence of where we met before," she said between clenched teeth. She backed up until she was standing by Vegeta now and then held her ground her confidence was all back. He was thankful for that.  
  
Junior had gathered up Legen and Benot, but he was still watching them.  
  
"Get them out of here!" She yelled sharply. Junior jumped and began to back away towards the exit.  
  
"Oh. Don't you think I took care of the exits," Krad said with a smile. "I think that you people are the only ones I need to worry about."  
  
She snarled. "Fine. I shall create one."  
  
Krad began to laugh and start to tout that there was no way that she could make a new exit. He rambled on for a bit over their superior technology that they could not match.  
  
She raised her hand and she blew away the door that Krad thought would hold them back, with a small confident smile.  
  
"You really should do your homework better," Soyna chuckled. Trunks saw his father smile.  
  
He saw Krad look to one of his henchmen who was frantically punching numbers in to a keypad on his wrist. He looked a little lost. Trunks remembered him from before. He was supposed to be good with odds and numbers and processing their information, but from what he saw, he was just an inept accountant.  
  
"You should never have trusted his information," she said. Junior was still standing behind him. "Get out of here with them!"  
  
Junior nodded.  
  
"MOM!" Benot yelled. He looked like he was going to cry. Legen just looked nervous as Junior bolted for the hole in the wall.  
  
"STOP THEM!" Krad yelled. "LIGH! Damn it boy, make yourself useful."  
  
............  
  
Ligh started to make a dash for the boys and Junior. Goten found himself powering up and getting ready to join the fight, but Soyna had other plans. She moved so swiftly to block Ligh's path that she knocked the boy back into Vegeta, who just shoved him away. Before he knew what happened Ligh found himself on his butt in front of his father who looked disapprovingly down on him.  
  
Junior and the boys had left the building, safe for now.  
  
Krad tried to gain his composure back as he looked over to Soyna.  
  
"That was not necessary," Krad said.  
  
"My boys, are not going to be part of your scheme. You deal with us. We are your so called threats," Soyna said.  
  
Ligh growled and got to his feet. He looked a little shaky now. That was twice he was knocked down by one of them. He looked nervously over at where Soyna stood, blocking the hole in the wall that she had created.  
  
Goten looked over to Trunks, who was worriedly looking over at Pan and Bra who were still standing firm a ways back on the bleachers. They would have to be the next to get out of here while this confrontation was happening. He did not want to see his niece getting hurt and he did not want to see Bra hurt either.  
  
He looked back at Krad.  
  
"Violence is not necessary!" Krad stated. "You have shown us that you are all quite strong and resilient (Goten knew that was meant for him for surviving the poisoning) but we see some potential here and we want to help..."  
  
"Quit with your stupid rehearsed speech!" Soyna snapped!  
  
Krad looked at her with wide eyes. Ligh looked at her with disdain.  
  
"We do not need your help and you do not need ours. If you had left this planet and us alone, we would not have bothered you. Ever! We are quite content with the way things are around here! We do not need you. We are not far off with our technology and if you have done your homework correctly. You already know that!" She hissed and took a step forward.  
  
"We are strong and we only use our strength to protect this planet and our families," She growled.  
  
Krad humped. "They why were they in space? I thought they were testing for enemies as we do." He pointed to Goten and Trunks.  
  
"They were searching for Goten's father," she hissed. "They stumbled across you and now I am stuck will making sure that you do not leave!"  
  
Ligh stood in front of his father. "Are you threatening us!"  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "Of course I am. I have nothing against you but I will make sure your father pay's for all the damage that he has done to my life!"  
  
Goten felt her power up. Her hair quickly shimmered gold and her eyes grew that lighter shade of green, her whole body grew a little sleeker and a little bit stronger, a little bit taller and all the more beautiful.  
  
Ligh stood his ground. He touched something on his arm.  
  
"Now, now," Krad said. "I know you are strong young lady, but I am afraid that my son, won't let you touch me. He is stronger than he looks. I would say, one of the stronger fighters in the universe and I certainly think he could take on a pretty lady like yourself!" Krad teased.  
  
He could see how angry she was. She was barely staying in control.  
  
Ligh grinned.  
  
Soyna growled.  
  
............  
  
  
Pan couldn't hear what was going on over there but it looked intense. When she saw Junior run for the door with the boys and the intervention, she got a little scared.  
  
She had never really been one to be scared of anything. She knew that she was strong enough to deal with everything and she would always have her family by her side. It was an unusual feeling to have. She knew why. Trunk's was looking right at her and his eyes were begging her to leave too. He wanted her to be safe.  
  
Then she had to consider Bra, who was much larger and a lot more vulnerable that she was. She was looking on excitedly. She wasn't showing any fear. She never really had to fight for herself. Her father was Vegeta, she never had to worry. If anyone even thought of hurting her, that person was gone. Not to mention that she had an older brother whom protected her just as strongly when the situation occurred, even though he wouldn't admit it as much.  
  
Soyna hair flickered and she became a Super Saiyian. She could sense the anger from where she was standing. That boy with the white hair that had been fighting Vegeta stood in front of her, his aura growing large and white around him.  
  
"We should get out of here. Get my dad," Pan said. This was one day that she wished that her dad had come to the tournament. She tugged at Bra's arm.  
  
"This should be a good fight!" Bra said. She was overly excited. She wanted to stay and watch as much as she did, but sacrifices had to be made. Dad should be here.  
  
"We can watch after we get my dad. I am sure that we won't miss much," Pan said.  
  
Bra sighed heavily. "I guess I should go get Raymond in case that someone gets hurt. He does have a medical kit ready," she said.  
  
Ligh threw the first punch. Soyna easily blocked it. Their aura's clashing and mixing together with electrifying results. Pan could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising. They were hiding their power as much as we were, she thought and didn't like that thought at all.  
  
............  
  
Krad looked away from Soyna and Ligh fighting and turned to Trunks and Goten.  
  
He knew that the pretty red headed woman was strong. He knew that his son was one of his best warriors too. He didn't know if he could beat her. They had a watched a few of her training sessions that she had with Vegeta and they were amazing. Her skills were almost perfect. She was so graceful and elegant. She always seemed to know what to do.  
  
He wondered where he had seen her before. She seemed to know him well. That was a surprise that he was not expecting at all. He was sure that he would have remembered a girl as beautiful as her.  
  
He would have to somehow try to talk to Trunk's and Goten. Try to get her to calm down and then they could reorganize a little bit. Things weren't going bad so far. He didn't think Ligh would have to fight so soon but then, she was a little spitfire wasn't she.  
  
He knew a lot more than he was letting on to them. He knew that somehow she was Trunk's daughter. The ages didn't match up but the genetics did. Trunks didn't act like a father to her though. That seemed to be Vegeta's job, being her protector. Of course, that piece of information, confused him even further. How did he meet Trunks daughter?  
  
Her children were a little bit of a mystery to him. There was no mention of who the father was and he couldn't determine it genetically either. They were not trained to fight as all the other members of the family were, but he saw the potential in them. He was hoping to have them around to see how they would protect their mother and see if they did have that fighting energy of a Saiyian in their veins, even though they acted very human.  
  
"I am not so petty as to just show up and blow you all up," he said. "I was willing to give you all another chance to change your mind on my former proposal and I do have a new one that I am willing to give," he smiled brightly. Goten kept rubbing his throat where he had wrapped his whip around before. Maybe the poison was not as ineffective against them as he thought. When they had left his planet, he was pretty sure that Goten was going to die. He looked so ill. Somehow they nursed him back to health. Of course, the poison would still work quite well on Vegeta who was standing watching Soyna fight like a statue. At least it would debilitate them enough for them to overpower, if it came to that.  
  
"We do not need anything from you," Goten yelled. "We just want to be left in peace. Without worrying about who is going to try to destroy the earth next. We just want a peaceful life! We have all seen more than enough destruction."  
  
Goten seemed angry and his attention was drawn to him and to Soyna who was getting the upper hand on his son.  
  
"She will kill you," Vegeta said simply. "I recommend you leave while you still have your neck attached to your shoulders."  
  
Krad focused on Vegeta. The son of one of the strongest willed leader that he had ever encountered. He didn't have much to deal with the King Vegeta. After all Freeza took care of that Saiyian problem.  
  
He knew that the young prince was alive but hadn't bothered with his progress for he was under control of Freeza and no one dared get in his way.  
  
The rumors of how Freeza and King Kold lost their lives was marred in mystery, but he had a feeling that it had to do with the Saiyians on this planet, now that he had seen their potential.  
  
Still, he knew the poison was effective for at least slowing them down. He wished he knew how long they would be out.  
  
He heard his son scream.  
  
He looked over to see that Soyna had his son's arms behind his back and he was on his knees. She was standing on the back of his legs. It looked like a rather painful position indeed.  
  
His son's face was screwed up in pain and he struggled to get out of the awkward position she held him.  
  
"Shall I kill him Krad?" She said. "Like you destroyed my life." Her voice was so full of venom! What did he do to her? He wished he remembered.  
  
Ligh screamed again. He wasn't holding back. He couldn't reach his arm to turn up his booster either. Not a good situation. He did not plan on loosing his son to these monkeys.  
  
He heard the beeping on his communicator that he wore on his arm. His men were now surrounding the building and the force field was up now at full force. Hopefully that would be enough to control this situation that was getting out of hand.  
  
He did not like loosing control!  
  
He had not counted on his son being so easily beaten by... well anyone, especially the woman that he thought would be easiest to woo.  
  
There was a beep again. A low voice murmured in his ear.  
  
He smiled as he listened.  
  
The advantage now shifted in his favor yet again.  
  
"I think you should let my son go," Krad said.  
  
She humped and twisted her feet into his legs. There were tears in his son's eyes.  
  
"If you kill my son, I will make sure that yours die too." Krad said.  
  
She stopped, but didn't let go. She was assessing if it was an empty threat.  
  
Did she really think, she would let them go that easily? Really? He was hardly a fool. Did they think he would walk up them and think that this confrontation was not one of the possibilities that he planned for?  
  
They may be strong, but he was a hell of a lot smarter than a bunch of monkeys!  
  
............  
  
  
  
To be contiuned... (DA DA DAAAAAHHH)  
  
(I know, I know... I will hurry with the next part as fast as my fingers will race across this keyboard and as long as I have access to a computer, I will get it up and going ASAP for all of those who just love the fact that I can't help but leave it as a cliff hanger. I hate them myself, but they are so much fun to write)  
  
  



	27. End of the Round

  
Here we go... the next chapter...  
  
  
  
  
  
C-29  
  
End of the Round  
  
  
  
  
Junior didn't know what hit him. His head hurt and his glasses were gone so that he could hardly see a thing. The lights were just much too bright.  
  
"Benot?" He called but didn't get an answer from him. He could see forms milling around but no small ones. "Legen?"  
  
"Shut up!" He felt a sharp pain in the small of his back that made his vision turn black for a moment and then the blurry white returned. He really needed to find his glasses.  
  
Where were the boys? He had them in his arms not that long ago. Didn't he? They were right beside him. He remembered Benot calling for his mother and he remembered Legen trying to say something, but...  
  
It was a trap. He should have known it was too easy. Krad was not that stupid. Soyna should have known it too. She should have if she wasn't blinded by the old images of the past that were assaulting her full force up in that sky box with all the monitors. He should have known that her judgement would be off, with her shaking hands and how nervous she looked.  
  
Krad was using a different trick.  
  
He narrowed his eyes and tried to get them to focus on the people around him. He had to try to find where they took Benot and Legen!  
  
His only racing thought that he tried so hard to push down was the fact that his sister was going to be so disappointed in him.  
  
............  
  
He could see his mother on the monitor, staring back at him. If he didn't know her so well, he would think that she didn't care, but he saw that sparkle in her eyes. She was thinking of what to do.  
  
Benot was making enough noise and struggling enough for both of them. He had bit the guard that held him a couple of times now and there was blood running down his chin. Legen was quite sure that all of that blood was the guards for his arm looked pretty chewed up. It would have been humorous in other situations.  
  
Benot was also using a series of swear words that he wasn't even sure what they meant.  
  
He looked at his mother who looked like she was about to finish off her opponent. He had never seen his mother kill but he was pretty sure that she was fully capable of it.  
  
He could barely hear the man's voice but it was clear enough that they were being used as bargaining chips. He wondered how far he could push his mother? He bit his lip and tried not to look scared. He didn't want his mother to lose a fight because of him.  
  
............  
  
"Let my son go, or else you loose one of yours," Krad said in an overconfident voice. He was aware that none of them had moved. The voice in his ear was telling him that his men were flanking them, their boosters and full. Read to jump in at any time.  
  
He doubted that they would stand a chance with their boosters at full power, no matter how strong of a Super Saiyian they were. They had enough strength to take down a monkey transformation Saiyian. He still could not get solid numbers on this new transformation that made them turn gold, but they couldn't be much stronger. Just maybe a little smarter than the monkey transformation.  
  
She loosed her grip slightly on Ligh.  
  
"You wouldn't dare kill one of my children," she said. Ligh no longer was screaming but there was a low moan of pain escaping him. He had to get the woman off of him.  
  
"And why is that?" He smiled.  
  
"You loose then," she said. "You destroy my family and I shall make sure yours ends up in worse shape than mine."  
  
Her brilliant green eyes were so cold and serious. He could see that she was serious.  
  
"Let go of him and it will not come to that," he said. She was a true warrior. He could read that in her. A true strong warrior. Of course, she was part Saiyian though. That came naturally to them, but they were seldom totally loyal and tended to wander to find harder battles. There had always been a few that were the exemption to the rule. The truly great warrior that was nearly unstoppable, but he had not seen one of those in eons. Of course, she acted like that. Goten acted like that and so did Trunks. They were loyal to their families and their home planet.   
  
Damn. He really wished he knew where he had seen her before because he was sure that he wouldn't let someone like her slip out of his sights.  
  
A scream came from the monitor.  
  
Did she flinch a little? Yes. A little. Her hands loosening on his son's arms. She was no longer standing on his legs. She was giving.  
  
"Don't be fooled!" Vegeta growled. "They are strong enough to handle themselves." His voice seemed to echo in the domed room.  
  
She blinked a few times.  
  
Krad noticed with how nervous both Trunks and Goten were standing frozen in spot with anger written all over their faces.  
  
He had the upper hand back.  
  
............  
  
Goten wanted to yell at her to just let Ligh go. Don't risk their lives, but he was frozen in spot. He did not think that this confrontation was going to be so difficult, but then, he thought it would be over by now.  
  
............  
  
It was Benot he heard though the monitor thing on his arm and Trunks could feel his insides churning.  
  
Bra and Pan were gone. He couldn't see where. He wondered if they were next. They had to get back in control. They had to stop this. They should have just ended it all when they knew he was here.  
  
Just kill him and get it over with.  
  
But of course, that wouldn't have worked. That plan never worked. There was always something else. Always something more. If you get rid of one problem you have to deal with a worse one that was lying in wait.  
  
Trunk's couldn't think of a way to get out of this. Krad was standing there so confident. The same way that he stood and laughed as he dragged the injured Goten back into their space ship when they left.  
  
Soyna couldn't let go. It would mean that he had the advantage. Even his father agreed. He could see it in his face. Vegeta knew the dangers just as much as he did.  
  
He growled under his breath, "Take him out."  
  
He did not want Pan to be the next one on the monitor.  
  
............  
  
Krad felt the tension that had built up in the room. An incredible amount of tension. He was wondering when the silly woman was going to let his son go and /or if the other were going to join in the attack.  
  
This was a very odd situation to be in.  
  
He really wished he could determine how strong they all truly were. All their indications fluctuated so wildly that he couldn't believe their instruments for awhile.  
  
"Lives are on the line here," he said softly.  
  
She glared at him, with clenched teeth and looked down at Ligh.  
  
............  
  
Vegeta shook his head in disbelieve as she let go of the boy's arms and tossed him to the ground.   
  
The boy lay there silent for awhile.  
  
Krad laughed.  
  
How could she let him get the advantage? She was a smarter fighter than that! How could she?  
  
"My son's. Let them go and I will not kill yours," she said. "Just because I let him go, doesn't mean that you have control yet, Krad."  
  
Krad's laughter stopped.  
  
"My boys will not be a part of this. You make them a part of this and you already lost. You cannot win by involving my family. You cannot win by hurting those that I care about. It will just make me angrier," she said in such a plain voice. It sounded more threatening that he even was taken aback.  
  
Ligh was getting up. He was a little shaky, but he looked like he still had some good fight in him yet. Vegeta could hear Ligh muttering about loosing to a mere girl.  
  
"I have nothing against you," Krad said. "I just wanted to get rid of the possible nuisances that could pop up later if I don't destroy the threat that is on this planet. That is you silly Saiyians and your boys are part that and I have no intention of loosing."  
  
"I don't plan on letting you win," she whispered harshly.  
  
He could see the pain in her eyes. She was living through it again. He knew that she was. It was like those nights with all the nightmares that she would have. He hoped that she wouldn't become irrational. He hoped that she would keep her head about her with Krad.  
  
He could see that this Krad was a lot craftier that he first thought he would be.  
  
............  
  
He really had to squint his eyes but he made out the images of Benot and Legen, more by their hair color than anything else.  
  
No one was really watching him.  
  
He knew that he was no where near a strong as the rest of his family, but he was not weakling! Just because he didn't train as much as everyone else, he knew how to feel for Ki. He knew that everyone was around.  
  
"UNCLE!"  
  
He looked sharply over to Benot who was suddenly thrust into his arms and buried his face into his chest.  
  
If only he could get his glasses so that his eyes wouldn't hurt so much, maybe he could think of something to do.  
  
Benot was shaking. Not because he was scared, but because he was angry. He knew his nephew better than that. He could see that they still held Legen in front of a monitor. He wished he could make out the image on the screen, but it was too hard to see.  
  
Benot didn't say anything. He didn't have too.  
  
He knew that it was up to him to get them out of this situation. He just didn't know what or how he was going to do it.  
  
............  
  
Pan pulled Bra back.  
  
"Will you quit doing that!" she hissed. Bra was walking around like she was unafraid of being seen.  
  
"What?" she whispered.  
  
"We are going to get caught that way!" Pan hissed back.  
  
Bra shrugged but slid behind her.  
  
Pan sighed. That was one thing about her friend that always drove her nuts. She counted on Vegeta and Trunks to protect her at all times. Sometimes, she really wished that she learned how to defend herself beyond screaming for her father to rescue her.  
  
They had to find a way out or at least someone to get her father here.  
  
She was sure that things were under control, but she still would feel better with her father here.  
  
She didn't like what she saw earlier.  
  
Soyna seemed to back down a bit. It was subtle but she did. She knew a little of her history with Krad through Junior but not that much. Goten seemed to see it too, for his face had grown a lot grimmer than she had ever seen her uncle.  
  
This was going to be a strange fight.  
  
Brute force would not win. They had that on their side. They needed the smarts too. All their strength would mean nothing, if they could not get the advantage on this creep.  
  
Bra nudged her. "Over there," she pointed to a door. "It's not guarded."  
  
Pan nodded and walked towards it. She hoped that it wasn't a trap.  
  
............  
  
  
"I have let one of them go," Krad said, showing her the monitor on his wrist again. Goten couldn't see it but he knew that he had allowed Benot to be let go. The most troublesome one.  
  
"Let Legen go," she hissed.  
  
Ligh looked as if he was ready to go again. Goten felt something odd about his strength. It wasn't all natural. He could feel it, but that didn't really make much of a difference now. It was higher. He was stronger, but he was not nearly strong enough to defeat them.  
  
"Now, now. I still need some negotiation tools." Krad grinned. "How foolish to you think I am?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes. He could see how hard it was for her not to loose her temper. She had to keep her cool for a little while longer yet. She would have her chance, but she was not about to risk the lives of her children.  
  
Krad laughed. Ligh was fixed on her. He looked like he was not used to loosing. It was a look that he had seen on Vegeta's face lots of times.  
  
"Why don't we get this blasted fight over with!" Vegeta roared from his spot. He looked impatient. "You want to destroy us. Fine. Just go ahead and try!"  
  
Krad looked over at Vegeta. "So impatient," he shook his head. "You really should have more patience Prince Vegeta. I would spar your lives if you will show me how to gain such strength. I know it cannot be natural. No Saiyian was ever as strong as you all are. Is it something in the water on this planet?"  
  
Goten just about wanted to laugh himself, but Vegeta did a good enough job of that.  
  
Krad really didn't do to well at his research, even though he had enough time to observe them. He had lots of time to observe them indeed and he still didn't know about the legendary super Saiyians that nearly all of them had reached now.  
  
He must be fooling. He must be. How could he not know?  
  
Soyna gave a snort. "You are more of a fool that I remember," she said as Krad attention was again drawn to her.  
  
Again, he looked confused. As if he was trying to figure out where he had seen her before and kicking himself for not remembering. He wasn't about to go into the details of time travel with Krad. He didn't need to know those details. He just needed to know that they were going to defeat him.  
  
"You can't win against us," Trunks said. He looked just as tense as Soyna. He could see that he was worried about something that he wasn't sure of.  
  
He was concentrating on Soyna. He had to make sure that she didn't do something foolish.  
  
"I won the first half," Krad said with a smile. He pulled out his whip. "I just came to finish off the round."  
  
............  
  
Well, there it is.  
  
Who will come and save the day??? Gohan???  
Will Pan and Bra get out safely to tell Gohan what is going on???  
What will happen with Junior being nearly blinded without his glasses???  
Can he protect his nephews???  
Will Ligh get another chance to fight Soyna???  
What are Krad's Plans truly???  
  
Ahhh... the next chapter will have to come before I can answer any of the questions.  
  
Stay tuned  
  
Soyna.  



	28. Crack of the Whip

Excuse the lateness of this chapter... I had to one hand type most of it and that slowed me down quite a bit. But I did it and here it is. Hopefully, my hand will be better soon, so I can pump out the rest of the story for you all!!  
  
  
C-30  
  
Crack of the Whip  
  
  
Pan had to pull Bra back as she was about to charge into the room. She put her hand over her mouth to silence her. Didn't she realize how serious this situation was?  
  
She looked around the corner and could see that there were Four men holding the boys at bay. Legen looked rather calm, but Benot looked exhausted. It looked like he had been putting up one hell of a struggle. His clothes were a mess and there was blood all over his shirt. She quickly saw the source of the blood was one of the men who was nursing his arm.  
  
Good for him.  
  
She looked further into the corner to see that there was Junior sitting their constantly blinking his eyes and rubbing them. He didn't look to worse for wear, but she knew that his eyes would be hurting him without his glasses, unless it was dark. The room was much too bright for him to see clearly.  
  
"Let's storm in," Bra whispered. Her whole body looked as if she were ready to attack. For someone that never bothered with training, she was sure willing to throw herself into the conflict!  
  
"Not yet," Pan said. "Let's see what happens first."  
  
Bra gave a little groan.  
  
............  
  
Junior felt them. He didn't need to see them to know that they were near, even with their energy pushed down that low. He could feel them and he wanted to yell at them to get the hell out of here. He knew he couldn't fight and neither could the boys, but hell, he knew that his sister wasn't going to let anything happen to them.  
  
She was playing Krad.  
  
He hoped.  
  
She was waiting to see what other traps he thought he had skillfully laid. He didn't want to see either Bra or Pan hurt because they thought they needed to be heroes. He could feel how drained Benot was. He wished that Soyna had trained them a little bit. Just being able to fly was not enough when it came to such a fight.  
  
He wished he had pushed himself a little bit further so that he wouldn't be in such a predicament and feeling all that helpless. He also wished that he had taken Raymond's advice about those painful contact lenses. They may have hurt, but not as much as his eyes hurt now. And, he would be able to see beyond blurs.  
  
"Damn Creeps!" Benot yelled. "How dare you treat me like this! Don't you know who my mother is!"  
  
The men were ignoring Benot's yells and taunts but that didn't deter him in the least. Benot was determined not to look scared or sound scared. He could see the cracking of his voice that he would quickly try to cover up with some brave profanity.  
  
When things were over, he would have to talk to the kid about where he learned such fowl language.  
  
He heard his sister's voice over the screen with her blurry red image on it. She was not going to go down easy.  
  
............  
  
"One is enough for now," Krad said as he lazily swung the whip around. He lowered the monitor on his arm so that she could no longer see her children. He could see how nervous it made everyone. They were still afraid of his poison. His true advantage after all. He should have gone with his instincts and poisoned the water supply and offered an antidote. It would only have killed the Saiyian's and his problems would have been long solved and this confrontation would not be necessary. He really had to stop listening to his stupid advisor.  
  
Soyna didn't seem nervous about the whip though. She seemed to get even more determined in her stance.  
  
She was defiantly an amazing woman.  
  
"Let them go," she said. "Let them both go home. They are not threat to you."  
  
"I know very well that they are no threat to me, but you and your friends are and I have the advantage with them in the clutches of my men," Krad said. "It would be such a terrible shame to have me kill you all and then have them come back for revenge in some future time." He laughed at that. "I doubt that your Saiyian blood is THAT strong."  
  
He saw Vegeta's eyes narrow. Oh, he hurt the poor man pride again. He wasn't worried though. He could see that he was worried about the whip in his hand. They all knew that it was poisoned and it could hurt them. From the look of Trunks eyes, he was more worried about the whip than anyone else.  
  
The poison was not ineffective.  
  
He could see it in their reactions.  
  
............  
  
Goten tried to hide his nervousness at the sight of the whip but it was hard. His throat hurt and he was thirsty and he suddenly felt warm. He did not remember much of those three months that he was infected with the fever when Trunks took care of him. He only remembered a lot of pain and being confused all the time. He did not want to go through that again. He doubted that he could make it through that ordeal again.  
  
And he sure as hell didn't want Soyna to go through it either. She looked so unafraid.  
  
He was nervous enough for both of them.  
  
Ligh was staring at her as if he were ready to pounce as soon as Krad said the word. His pale eyes glancing at them all. Boy, did he look bitter about loosing to her. He knew that feeling all to well.  
  
He kept rubbing his arm as if to assure himself that something was there.  
  
He glanced over at Trunks. He looked nervous too. Vegeta didn't show any sign that it bothered him. Of course he wouldn't. He was Vegeta.  
  
He wished he could do something more that stand there and wait for the next attack.  
  
............  
  
"Ready?" Pan said to an anxious Bra who nodded her head vigorously. Yeah, she was not afraid of anything, but then, she did have Vegeta for her father. She didn't have a reason to be afraid of anything. Daddy always took care of everything.  
  
She sighed.  
  
............  
  
Benot had never been so happy to see Bra and Pan in his life. They did a sneak attack on the guards in a way that he didn't understand. They stood their flabbergasted and seemed anxious to get the know them. They talked in low voices and the men started to fight with each other.  
  
His mother never attacked like that. He wondered what that kind of attack was called? It seemed very effective, even if he didn't understand it.  
  
Junior grabbed his shoulder. "Come on. This is our chance," he whispered. "You're going to have to lead me."  
  
He nodded. He knew that his uncles' eyes were bad, he didn't think they were that bad, but obviously they were.  
  
"Quietly," Junior insisted.  
  
He nodded and started to walk towards the door. He saw Legen look at him. The guard was near where Bra and Pan were but he still had a grip on his shoulders. That guard was not as stupid as the other ones who forgot what their job was supposed to be.  
  
Then the attack plan of Bra and Pan changed.  
  
Those were the moves that he was familiar with. Three men were suddenly flattened against the wall and lay their unconcious as quick as that! The one guy that held Legen by the shoulders stood their stunned as Pan popped him a good on in the throat.  
  
That was how you attacked people! He refrained from cheering and led his uncle behind them as they all left the room together.  
  
............  
  
He cracked the whip in the direction of Goten. He was pleased to see him involuntarily jump back from its tip. He wanted to laugh as he saw the great warrior, as he had called himself, jump from a flimsy piece of leather. So it had a little poison on it that could certain make him very ill if not kill him.  
  
He knew that it could kill Vegeta. He wondered if he was immune to the poison? He planned to find that out soon. He did not plan for this to take too long. He wanted this over as quickly as possible.  
  
He planned on winning. Killing Trunks and Goten, for spurning him and laughing at his plans. But, he did have plans for the lovely Soyna. She would make him strong.  
  
............  
  
Goten blushed as he jumped back. He couldn't help it. He remembered the pain all to much last time and he didn't want to end up so sick like the last time. He didn't know if it could do that to him again.  
  
He didn't know and he didn't want to find out.  
  
Ligh stood straight now and pulled out a small dagger from his belt that he did not see there before. He was moving to weapons. He wished that Trunks had his sword. He was about the only one among them that knew how to use a weapon. Everyone else counted on their fists and strength. They never needed a weapon before. He knew Trunks only learned the sword because the OTHER Trunks knew how to use it and he didn't want his father to be disappointed in him.  
  
The communicator on Krad's arm started to buzz. Krad's face went dark and he hissed into the microphone on his wrist.  
  
He didn't need to really hear what was said. He knew what happened. The boys got away. The sneaky devils did it. Hell, they should be able too, with the amount of trouble that they always got into.  
  
Krad's house of cards was crumbling, a little at a time.  
  
He saw Soyna grin and roll her shoulders. "Are you ready to fight like a man now?"  
  
Krad raised his eyebrows.  
  
Goten grinned.  
  
She lunged.  
  
............  
  
He really wished he could see what was going on. He felt that they were flying and a pretty good speed but he had to hang onto Pan to stay in the air. It was very disconcerting flying when all you could see is shadows and dizzying. Pan had to take hold of him, for he nearly fell out of the sky twice. She just laughed at him.  
  
He could hear the boys blaming each other for being captured and Benot complaining now that his teeth hurt from that brutes arm. "His skin was rather tough!"  
  
He asked Pan where they were going. She said that she was going to get her dad. He would know what to do.  
  
............  
  
He heard an awful crash and his mother starting to yell about something.  
  
He ran down stairs and looked around for some sort of intruder. He looked in the living room at his mother lying on the floor.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
He ran to her and checked her pulse. She was alive. He sighed. He lifted her on to the couch and started to fan her with his hands. "Come on Mom. Wake up." He shook her gently.  
  
He wondered why she fainted.  
  
He reached for the remote, meaning to shut off the T.V. for it was rather loud and annoying him.  
  
But then, he saw the images.  
  
He now knew why his mother had fainted.  
  
Soyna was attacking a man that looked like the man she described as Krad. There must have been TV cameras at the tournament for the announcer was talking in a hushed voice about some terrorist wreaking the largest tournament and that these brave fighters seem to ready to take him on.  
  
He saw Trunks standing on the side line, along with Goten and Vegeta watching Soyna and Krad fight. There was also a white haired boy who had a dagger drawn, who was watching rather intently.  
  
Where was Pan? Trunks was supposed to be looking after her? If she was hurt that boy was dead!  
  
"Oooh."  
  
He turned to his mother who was starting to wake up. She rubbed her head. "Oh, Gohan. I was having the worst dream. It looked like I had to watch another fight on the..." Her voice trailed off as she looked the TV and heard the hushed voice of the announcer. She let out a groan and fell back on the couch.  
  
He wished he could faint too.  
  
............  
  
She was good! He was impressed at how she dodged his every whip stroke and punch. She was carefull though. She was afraid of the whip too but she had a real hatred in her eyes for him for some reason.  
  
He would have to find a way to change that or use it.  
  
She screamed at him and powered up so that her hair grew a little longer and pailer. There were different levels to these Saiyian powers. Not good. But then, if he could just get that whip to land on her... he would have her.  
  
He picked up his pace as she picked up hers. He started a pattern move. Get his enemy into a routine and then suddenly change it. It usually worked.  
  
She didn't seem to notice the pattern.  
  
Good.  
  
He changed the pattern suddenly. He caught her off guard and the whip wrapped about her arm. He laughed at that. He got her. He could already see the blood seeping through her dark clothes.  
  
He heard all the men gasp.  
  
He was going to win! He wasn't going to be beaten by a bunch of half monkeys!  
  
He never enjoyed laughing so much in his life!  
  
............  
|  
  
  
  
Short and sweet.... My hand is killing me now, so I have to go...  
  
I know. Yet another cliff hanger. I just can't help myself.  
  
Soyna  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	29. Panic

I know. I know. Apologize for the time it is taking me to write out the ending of this story, but I will finish it. I just want you all to know that I won't leave it hanging incomplete forever ( I personal hate that in other story's!) Enjoy this chapter and I hope to have the next one up within a week! (Cross my sore fingers that I can.)  
  
Anyway, read and enjoy!  
  
  
C-31  
  
Panic  
  
  
Gohan was mesmerized by what he saw on the screen. The famous whip that had caused her so much pain was wrapped around her arm. He couldn't believe that she would allow it to even touch her and was even more surprised that she was allowing the fight to go on as long as it has. She should have finished him by now. What the hell was stopping her?  
  
He could see the blood on her arm.  
  
"I don't really want to see this. Why does their have to be TV camera's everywhere? I don't like seeing my family being killed on national TV all the time. OH... look at Goten! My baby!" She sat on the couch and shivered as she looked at the TV.  
  
He never really thought about that.  
  
She always got to watch the fights. She saw Goku die on more than one occasion, he was sure of it. He knew that she saw him get hurt more than one time. But they had to fight. They always had to fight. There was no way around it. They always had to save the world.  
  
The camera panned onto Goten, Trunks and a now super Saiyian Vegeta who all looked as if they were ready to pounce upon the laughing Krad and the grinning white haired boy.  
  
The thing that amazed him, was that Soyna didn't look like she was in that much pain despite the blood that was dripping from around the whip.  
  
"Gohan!"  
  
He turned to his mother who was clutching a pillow to her chest.  
  
"Do something!"  
  
Yeah. Right. Do something. What was he supposed to do? They all trained more than he did and were more prepared for this fight that he could ever be. He knew that he had the brute strength without the ability to transform as he once did, but he was also sure that they had more skill than he did. Most of his was lost into books and red markers.  
  
What the hell could he do?  
  
Goten was still able to transform and transform further than he ever did and he was able to fuse with Trunks. He didn't see why they would suddenly need him, when the better prepared of the fighters were all there.  
  
But then, he couldn't sit and watch it on TV, now could he?  
  
............  
  
"We can't just leave," Legen protested from under Pan's arm. He couldn't pull himself out. She was way to strong for him, even though he could see that the wiggling was annoying the hell out of her.  
  
"Your mother will be just fine. Don't you worry about her. We got to get you and your brother safe and something for your uncles eyes," Pan said looking back as Bra was dragging both Junior and Benot behind herself.  
  
Legen could see how badly his eyes were hurting him. He wasn't to sure if all the tears were from the bright sunlight or for leaving Soyna behind to fight without him.  
  
Legen knew that he wanted to go back. He knew that he should go back. It was his mother and how could he abandon her? He knew that he was only six years old but he also knew that he could not let anything happen to her.  
  
He was his mother.  
  
He knew that she wanted this fight. He knew that this fight was supposed to cleanse her the last one between her and Krad. He knew that it was supposed to make everything all better once she won. He wiggled some more in Pan's arms. But what if she lost. Who would carry on her fight. He had to be there. He didn't want to go over to see Uncle Raymond to make sure that he was okay. He was fine. Benot was the one that got beat up, not him. He was just fine and he didn't want to abandon his mother like they were forcing him too!  
  
"But mom needs me!" he complained. He wanted to be there. She would not play if their lives were in danger. He knew that she like to taunt her opponents. He knew his mother all to well. She would get down to bushiness if he was there and it would all be over.  
  
The big fight would all be over and then they could all go out for ice cream or burgers and mom could quit putting her guard up around Goten.  
  
Damn it. Things were starting to look so good!  
  
Stupid Krad had to ruin it!  
  
He almost had a dad! He could see her crumbling around him. Slowly, but there was a part of her that would treat him different than if someone else did those things. He knew damn well, that Goten was infatuated with her. The kiss they saw them in, even though Benot totally ruined the moment, was the happiest moment of his life!  
  
He wiggled some more and tried to get out of Pan's grip. He wanted it all over! Over and life to get back to where they left off.  
  
"Quit squirming. This is for everyone's own good," Pan said.  
  
What would she know? He thought angrily. She didn't know his mother like he did. He knew her nightmares. He knew her pain better than anyone! He knew that she had to win this and quickly or else things were going to go bad and he was not about to loose his mother!  
  
"The strongest are there," she said. "Krad and his men don't stand a chance against your mother and Trunks."  
  
Of course. Her thoughts were on Trunks. His grandfather-of-sorts. He looked at the worry on Pan's face. Why was she worried? Trunk's was so very strong, almost as strong as his mother. She didn't need to worry about him?  
  
Mom would not let anything happen to him.  
  
He knew that.  
  
He knew her dreams better than anyone ever did and he knew that she would win and then everything would be good.  
  
Of course, it would go much faster if he were there!  
  
............  
  
Goten lunged and felt that Trunks was right beside him.  
  
Ligh stopped them both. "Let them finish. I will have my turn with you two!"  
  
Goten looked at Trunks. There was no way that this boy could defeat them. They were both charged up pretty high and they both knew what they needed to do to make this quick and simple.  
  
No point dragging on the fight.  
  
............  
  
Krad frowned.  
  
She wasn't going down. She had raised her hand. He looked out of the corner of his eyes to see a very angry looking Vegeta standing ready to lunge.  
  
This was not what he was expecting at all.  
  
He pulled the whip tighter and saw that it did nothing and pulled it back to him. He could see that he got her and that it was definitely her blood that was drawn. Why wasn't she going down? He was sure that his whip was still poisoned! "You should be down!"  
  
"I know," she said and removed her torn sleeve and let it drop to the floor. "But, then, I was poisoned once before and I do have an immunity to it now."  
  
Poisoned once before? How?  
  
She laughed at him.  
  
He didn't care for that at all.  
  
He thought he knew so much about them, but they were playing games with him, instead of him playing games with them! He felt his anger rise.  
  
"I don't know you! How the hell can you know me?" He yelled at her.  
  
"Time travel is a bitch, isn't it?" she laughed and ran a hand through her golden hair. She didn't seem to notice that blood was now streaking the light gold.  
  
Time travel. These people had that capacity? That was an impossibility! His scientists said it was not possible. How? It still didn't explain much, but it was easier to digest now. It was how she could know him, and he not her.  
  
"You won't win again. It is my turn to win and none of that charm of yours will work on me this time," she whispered. Her whole body seemed to shift again. She grew just a little bit bigger and her hair a little lighter, and ten times more beautiful. Her eyes seemed be glowing more. Was this another Saiyian transformation? How far could they go? In the time that he was watching them, no one went that far. He did not like the fact that he had totally underestimated these halfling Saiyians.  
  
He had no advantage.  
  
He had to get out of here quick.  
  
He looked to his son, who turned out was rather busy with a fellow that he didn't see before, but he was aware that Goten and her father were no longer there. There was a new guy that he didn't know fighting his son.  
  
............  
  
The Fusion was disorienting. It wasn't like before. But then, before, they didn't have any secrets between each other and were pretty much living the same lives.  
  
Goten found out with a shock that Pan was pregnant and they were scared as hell to tell Gohan.  
  
Trunks found out how deep his feelings were for Soyna (he thought there was something there but he didn't know about the time they spent in bed) and the secret hiding spot that he always found her in.  
  
Goten was a little repulsed with the though of how (they) got Pan pregnant. He did not want to ever know that much detail  
  
Trunks was more than a little repulsed of the thought of how (they) felt about his daughter.  
  
It was a struggle to push those emotions back and push the thought of defeating Ligh in front of them.  
  
A quick mantra entered their minds and they were able to focus their eyes on what they had to do to get rid of these pests. Get rid of the people that were trying to take over the world and then universe.  
  
Ligh. They had to get through him, before they could get to Krad who had hurt his daughter/woman. Trunks almost shuttered at the thought of Goten and Soyna together. He didn't know if he liked the idea but he had other things to worry about at the moment.  
  
They had to get this fight over with quickly. The thoughts at the back of their mind were maddening and it was a struggle to look calm as they attacked Ligh and he was able to block their first couple of blows.  
  
They grabbed his arm and felt a slight crunch.  
  
Ligh gave out a scream.  
  
They let him go.  
  
Some sort of metal band crumbled off his arm.  
  
............  
  
"My booster!" Ligh said and suddenly looked very frightened. He was looking to his father who was sandwiched between a golden haired Soyna and a tense looking Vegeta.  
  
Krad's eyes were momentarily diverted to his son and the small pile of mechanical wires that lay now on the dust covered ground. He gave a little nod.  
  
Ligh still looked rather upset, but put his chin down in determination and looked at the mixed Saiyian in front of him. He didn't know how they did it. He had never heard anything like it, but it sure as hell made them a lot stronger than before.  
  
He looked to his father again. His father looked like he was planning something yet, but he wasn't too sure what it was.  
  
He turned back and Goten and Trunks were no longer 'together'. It shocked him as he took a few steps back. They both looked a little dazed and he decided to use it to his advantage.  
  
He pulled the slim blade from under his belt and lunged at the closest half Saiyian. All he had to do was give him a scratch. Just a little nick and they would have the advantage again. The purple haired one was within his grasp.  
  
.........  
  
Trunks had to clear his eyes. He never remembered the separation being so difficult either. The separation was almost painful, just as they were getting used to being together and then ripped apart. He was just thankful that they weren't fused longer, it could have killed them.  
  
They needed to practice that, if it was so painful, for next time.  
  
He didn't see Ligh coming at him right away and when he did, he really didn't think he was that much of a threat without that booster thing on his arm. The boy was not strong enough to even give him a bruise.  
  
He saw the dagger a little too late for his own good.  
  
............  
  
Gohan was so relieved to see his daughter that he rushed up to her and nearly crushed her and Legen.  
  
"We have to go back and save mom!" Legen protested trying to get out of Pan's grasp, but she wasn't letting go. "Mom will end it quicker if we are there!"  
  
He looked over at an exhausted looking Junior who was rubbing his eyes. He had them squinted shut and the looked swollen and red. He knew it was the poison acting on them. He didn't have his glasses.  
  
Benot snorted. "Mom doesn't need us there!" he yelled at his brother. "She can whip all their butts! Hey look, there on TV. We can watch from here without getting in the way."  
  
Gohan frowned at the boy. He looked a little worse for wear. He didn't know what happened to him, but he sure didn't look like he wanted to go back into that situation.  
  
Bra helped Junior to a chair. "I'm going to call Raymond," she said and jumped to the phone.  
  
Junior just lowered his head and allowed his black hair to fall in front of his face. "I wasn't supposed to fail her this time," he whispered. More to himself than anyone else. Gohan sighed and turned to the TV where both the boys and Pan were now staring at it intently.  
  
Pan still had a firm hold on Legen so that he wouldn't squirm away.  
  
The fight had drastically changed.  
  
He saw the fused form of Trunks and Goten split apart and was surprised to seem them look so disoriented. He didn't have the pleasure of ever experiencing that, but he did not remember ever seeing them look so... so confused.  
  
He heard Pan gasp. "What are they doing?"  
  
Legen squirmed and looked as if he was trying to push back his tears. "We have to go back and help mommy," Legen moaned. "She can't do it without us!" Pan was ignoring him and was starting intently at the screen.  
  
The camera shifted again. The announcer kept going in a low hushed voice that seemed racked with concern. He chose not to really pay attention to the announcer. Since when did he really know what was going on? They never did.  
  
"Your mother is strong," Chi Chi said and pulled Legen into her lap from Pan. Legen didn't seem to mind and his look of tension and the look of bolting left him. "She will do what she has to do to make sure that you will be safe."  
  
Legen no longer seemed to be able to hold back the tears. He allowed himself to bury his face into the shirt of Chi Chi and cried. "That is what I am afraid of!"  
  
Gohan turned back to the screen. He missed something.  
  
Trunk's was bleeding. He had his hand over his cheek. That white haired boy lay crumpled under the hands of Goten at the moment, but Trunks was standing their holding his hand over his right cheek with a dazed look on his face. Goten now held a dagger that looked like it had a rather nasty looking edge.  
  
The boy took advantage of their disorientation!  
  
Krad was laughing but he couldn't make out what he was saying.  
  
............  
  
"I don't plan on loosing this time either," Krad said simply as he watched the look of horror cross the mighty Soyna's face as she watched the blood trickled through her would be father's fingers.  
  
He heard the roar of Vegeta behind him, but he was ready for that! He could hear the voices in his ear piece telling him that they were coming for them. His shuttle craft.  
  
He had his whip out again. It wouldn't be so easy to dodge when he was coming right at him. He knew one things about Saiyians. They had two weaknesses. They were way to proud for their own good and two, once they had an attachment, rage was the best state to get them in for they no longer thought straight. He was counting on that here and it seemed to be working. He knew the moment would be brief. It always was, but a moment was a moment.  
  
Vegeta looked as if he had transformed to the same level that Soyna was at. His hair a little lighter than before and he had no hair on his eyebrows that made the prince of a dead race look, well, he thought at least, silly.  
  
He cracked the whip.  
  
He could hear the roar of his shuttle craft. It was time to clean this up, go back to his comfortable ship. Have a nice bath and destroy the planet so that he would never be bothered by such pesky creatures again.  
  
He could hear the pained cry come from Trunks as he fell to his knees. That other baffoon standing there as he threw the poisoned knife into a nearby wall. And tried to help Trunks keep to his feet. The blood was just a slight trickle but it was dark. He saw the glaze appear on his eyes.  
  
He was very glad to see that the poison was still effective on some people.  
  
He concentrated on Vegeta. He cracked the whip again and missed. He saw that cocky smile on his face. Of course, Vegeta didn't know about the little button that he seldom used on the end of his whip that split the tightly wound leather into about 20 wildly flailing poisoned tips.  
  
.............  
  
Gohan held his daughter tightly to his chest as she weeped and mumbled stuff that he could barely understand.  
  
Junior, even though the could not see the TV seemed to know what happened too. Benot had crawled into his arms and was holding his uncles hand firmly.  
  
Legen looked as if he was going to burst into a new set of tears.  
  
This was not how it was supposed to happen! He felt his chest tighten. He felt his hands going though his daughters hair and he felt his mind go blank as he listened to the heightened whisper of the announcer saying that the spiky haired short guy was on his knees and everyone else seemed to stunned to move.  
  
His only thought that came to him, when he saw the camera do a close up on Soyna and seeing that pained look on her face was, they were not supposed to loose. They never loose. But then, Goku wasn't here, now was he?  
  
............  
  
  
... well, that is the chapter. It took me forever to get it down.  
The next chapter, Last Resort, should come a little quicker... I hope. One finger typing is brutal!!!  
  
Soyna  



	30. The Last Resort

  
I know it was another long wait but I hope when you read this, you will think that it well worth the wait.  
  
  
  
  
C-32  
  
The Last Resort  
  
  
Is this what the poison did to you?  
  
Trunks never felt so much pain in his life! His blood was on fire and burning through his whole body. He thought that his eyes were going to burst out of his head and his heart was going to explode. Every breath he took froze his lungs as if daggers of ice were being pushed into them. He couldn't feel Goten trying to make him stand. He knew that he was touching him, but his touch was not there. He could feel the blood searing his skin as it flowed down his cheek and onto his neck as if it were acid. He never knew that such pain could exist. 'If I survive,' he though, 'I will never complain about my father beating me in a fight ever again.'  
  
His ears started to ring. Goten was the only thing keeping him standing at the moment. He blinked his eyes. They felt so sore, as if his eyelids were covered with sandpaper. He could see that his father was down. How could that be?  
  
He saw his father with his hand on his chest and blood seeping through his fingers. He looked frozen in place.  
  
The whip in Krad's hand looked like twenty whips.  
  
The ringing in his ears was increasing. The pain was increasing.  
  
He only thoughts were on Pan now. He had to survive for Pan and their child. He couldn't leave her alone! He finally found someone to love and he was finally happy and now that dream of having a family. Having some kids running around the house and calling him daddy. He wanted all that now more than ever. Especially since Pan told him that he was going to be a father. He never knew before that he wanted it. Now, he was going to loose it all to letting his guard down and allowing some space punk to scratch him with a poisoned knife.  
  
He heard himself groan.  
  
He looked at the scene again. Soyna hand her hand on Vegeta's chest. Was she crying? Dad's blood sure looked red on her white skin. She was yelling something at Krad but he couldn't make it out.  
  
Krad was busy smiling at them.  
  
He wished his ears would stop ringing!  
  
............  
  
Pan watched her father rush out the door.  
  
She watched his trail disappear into the blue sky.  
  
It was supposed to be such a nice day. It was peaceful here. The birds seemed total unaware of the perilous fight that was happening on the TV. They did not seem to realize that the world was ending for her.  
  
She found herself with her hands on her stomach. She couldn't fight because she had carelessly fell in love. They had used protection, but obviously not enough. She tried not to let the tears that were threatening to fall come. She had to be strong.  
  
She had to worry about her and Trunk's baby.  
  
Even though he might not be around to see the child born.  
  
The tears silently fell down her cheeks.  
  
If only she could fight to protect him. If only he could fight to make sure that she could have that dream that she always wished for.  
  
She looked to the couch, purposely avoiding the TV, to see her grandmother holding onto a weeping Legen. She knew her grandmother and could see the tension that was in her face. The only thing that seemed to keep her calm was that she kept running her hands through Legen's hair in a manner to keep him calm.  
  
She was almost surprised that she wasn't ranting or raving about this grim outlook.  
  
Benot sat staring at the TV with a stony look on his bruised face. His lower lip was quivering but he seemed defiant to letting the tears come. His posture gave him away though, he was hugging himself so tight that his fingers were white against his tanned arms.  
  
Junior was silent. Slouched in the chair with an arm over his eyes. For such a big man, he looked so small at the moment. He was muttering stuff under his breath, stuff that she couldn't quite make out.  
  
She rubbed her cheeks and was surprised to feel that they were wet.  
  
"It won't end like this!" she whispered and was shocked at how pained her voice was.  
  
............  
  
He just felt numb. It wasn't painful but it was numbing. He couldn't even feel Soyna touching him and holding him up. He couldn't hear her talking to him, for all there was, was a dull roar of his own heart filling his ears.  
  
He realized that she had been holding out on him. She was definitely past Level 2. He could see it in her face. She didn't loose her eyebrows but they were sharp lines, and her hair was lighter than he ever remembered seeing it. She had been holding out on him.  
  
Normally, he should have felt anger at that. He should have been furious with her for holding back so much of her strength. He didn't feel angry though. He felt a sense of pride through the dull pain and also a sense of fear.  
  
Her hold on the form was not that strong. He could see her eyes shifting colors from a dark green to that iridescent light green. Her teeth were clenched tightly when her lips weren't moving.  
  
He wanted to tell her to back down.  
  
He knew how she got those burns on her skin. She had pushed herself too far. She was doing that again. She was pushing herself way too far. A touch of red flared in her hair. A slight streak that fell in front of her face. She was pushing herself way too far!  
  
He wanted to reach out and knock some sense into her. She was not strong enough to get that far! She did not have enough of the Saiyian blood to reach that level!  
  
He heard her voice. "Raymond will cure you. I won't let you die," she said in a strained whisper.  
  
He couldn't answer her. He never felt so helpless in his life. He knew what it was like to die. He knew what it was like to feel that draining feeling and the loss that occurs with that. He knew that all to well. How many times has he died?  
  
Twice.  
  
Yes.  
  
He was prepared for the third and final round.   
  
............  
  
Goten couldn't believe what he was hearing!  
  
"You can't!" he yelled at her. She couldn't do that! He wouldn't let her. He was about to loose her after he nearly got her as his own! He wasn't going to let that happen!  
  
They all looked at him.  
  
"I won't let you!"  
  
"It is the only way that you can't help your friends," Krad said simply, flailing the whip around as if it were some sort of party favor. "We have a deal and I say that I rather like it." Goten wanted to punch him in the face but Trunk's weight was ever increasing on his arm.  
  
"Take them to Raymond!" Soyna said. "Get them better."  
  
She lay down Vegeta who seemed oblivious to what was going on as Trunks. But then he was a full blooded Saiyian. The poison must affect him differently. He didn't seem to be in pain.  
  
"I can't leave you!" He yelled and released Trunks so that he crumpled to the ground.  
  
"You will!" She yelled.  
  
There were tears in her eyes. She wasn't letting them fall, but there were tears in her eyes.  
  
He had no intention of letting her go on with this stupid plan.  
  
"This is the last resort," she said sharply as she walked towards Krad. She let her defenses down and was the normal looking Soyna again, with her wild red hair and dark green eyes.  
  
"She is talking sense boy," Krad said. "I am allowing you to take these two," he pointed to both poisoned men, "to safety. I am allowing you to live as well, much against my own desire to destroy you."  
  
Goten opened his mouth.  
  
"Go you fool!" She yelled at him and now stood beside Krad and his son. "Before they die from the poison!"  
  
"But..." he wanted to cry.  
  
"Go!" She snapped. "Everything will be taken care of!"  
  
What did she mean by that?  
  
............  
  
"NO!" Legen said and jumped at the TV. "Don't let her do it Goten! Don't you dare!" He knew they were all looking at him.  
  
They were all wondering what was going on and didn't understand the sudden change in the fight and they wondered why Soyna had powered down.  
  
Legen knew.  
  
"Stop her! No! NO!" he yelled at the TV. He could see the look in his mother eyes. A look that he had seen from when she woke up from nightmares and was looking down at him, when she thought he was asleep. "Don't you let her do that!" He knew that yelling at the TV would not change anything and he knew that he couldn't hear him.  
  
But it was all he could do.  
  
He felt his uncle scoop him up and pull him back.  
  
Junior was silent but he knew too. He knew just as well as he did what she was doing and it just wasn't right. Things were not supposed to end like this! It wasn't supposed to be the end like this!  
  
"She can't do that! She just can't give herself up!" He sobbed into his uncles chest.  
  
"It was what Krad wanted before. She refused him and people died. She is doing it so that no one else has to suffer," his voice sounded badly strained as if he were fighting his own tears. "She doesn't want any of us to suffer so she is sacrificing herself."  
  
He just cried.  
  
He didn't want to loose his mom!  
  
............  
  
Trunks forced himself to his feet. It was hard. It was really hard. His head was pounding and the world seemed to be spinning.  
  
He tried to walk towards Soyna. She was the one that he had to worry about. She was doing something stupid. He knew that she was doing something really stupid and he had to stop her.  
  
He managed a couple of steps and then he felt as if the whole place around him was shaking. He thought for a moment that it was the poison that was giving him that feeling but then he realized that it wasn't. The arena was shaking.  
  
He nearly fell, but he kept on his shaky knees and looked up as a hole appeared in the ceiling and a shuttle craft appeared.  
  
He covered his head from the falling debris.  
  
Goten was yelling at Soyna.  
  
Father looked dead. He couldn't see if he was even breathing.  
  
He blinked his eyes as struggled to stay at his feet as the craft lowered itself in a dramatic whirlwind as the door opened.  
  
"You can't..." he tried to speak.  
  
They were not looking at him.  
  
Krad put his hand on Soyna's shoulder. She hung her head in shame.  
  
He gawked. He couldn't help it.  
  
"NO!" he yelled. "No!" He tried to lunge forward. He tried to move quicker but he just couldn't. He doubted that his voice was heard over the roar of the engine in the craft.  
  
She did look at his though. He knew that sadness. The first couple of months in which she wouldn't talk to him, she would give him that look. The look of total loss.  
  
They stepped into the open plank of the craft.  
  
She was doing it! She was going with him!  
  
He yelled to her again and stumbled forward.  
  
She shook her head and pointed.  
  
He mustered all his strength that he could as the craft was starting to rise. He lunged at the walkway.  
  
............  
  
"Stop her," Legen whispered as he watched the TV with one eye.  
  
"It is what he wants and she is doing it to safe us all," Junior whispered but his voice was very loud in the room. "She told me that she would do this, if it was the only way to beat Krad."  
  
"What?" Pan snapped. "She knew this would happen! She knew that she would go with him?"  
  
Junior rubbed his sore eyes through a cloth that they had wrapped around them. "She knew it was a very possible option."  
  
They all were staring at him. He knew it. He knew that this was a very possible option from the beginning. She blamed herself for the death of everyone that she loved and the fact that his eyes were hurt. She blamed herself because of her temper. Her temper and her refusal of Krad's offer. She had never outright said it, but he knew that she sometimes wished she hadn't lost her temper and everyone would still be alive.  
  
She was going to make sure that it was different this time.  
  
.......................................  
  
  
  
There we go...  
  
Another chapter to the IT NEVER ENDS. Keep reviewing and reading me!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	31. Loss

  
  
  
C-33  
  
Loss  
  
  
  
Gohan could feel that something bad had just happened. Power levels were plummeting but that didn't upset him all that much. He had expected to feel the power levels lower. But there was something else that was happening. A bad feeling that almost stopped him dead cold.  
  
He couldn't place it.  
  
He knew he felt it before but he couldn't place it.  
  
............  
  
Goten picked up the limp cold body of Vegeta and watched her go with Krad.  
  
He fought his tears and the urge to scream. Vegeta made a low moaning sound.  
  
He knew he should get Vegeta to the doctor as quickly as possible. Raymond may be able to help him, but he wanted to go after her and the conflicting thoughts were tearing him apart.  
  
She was willingly going with Krad!  
  
Willingly.  
  
He remembered how hard it was to get her even to look at him. To get her to the point where she would not use him as a punching bag. He remember how vulnerable she had been under the apple tree by that beautiful stream and then the hard contrast of the warrior who dared him to try to beat her. Then that woman that watched after her boys with a vicious temperament and love and the woman that gave him those few moments of affection that drew him to her even harder than before.  
  
Then he remembered that brief kiss they had.  
  
He remembered how warm she was in his arms when she was hurt and how strong she was even though she was so weak.  
  
Willingly.  
  
Gone.  
  
His heart felt so empty. It was a void that was threatening to consume him right there on the rubble filled arena floor.  
  
Vegeta moaned again and brought him back to reality.  
  
Vegeta's weight felt oddly heavy. A dead weight.  
  
He had to get Vegeta to Raymond.  
  
It was Vegeta's only chance.  
  
He had to force his legs to move. He had to force himself not to follow after her. He had to force himself to do what she asked him to do.  
  
It was going against every fiber of his being.  
  
The feeling of Vegeta's blood seeping down his back made him move a little faster.  
  
It was now up to Trunks.  
  
Trunks had to bring her back to him.  
  
He would make sure that Vegeta was going to be okay and then he would make sure that she would come back to him and then they could be together.  
  
He had to make sure she was going to come back to him.  
  
.............  
  
Trunks fought the winds that threatened to sweep him up and out of the shuttle craft. The only thing that kept him from plummeting to the earth was the thin metal rod that he held onto.  
  
He had never felt so weak in his life and in so much pain, but he had to focus. Had to! He couldn't let her go with such a man! She had so much hatred for him! So much and here she was talking to him with his hand on her arm! This was not the Soyna he knew!  
  
"I won't let his happen! She is coming back with me!" He was glad that his voice at least sounded strong despite how weak he felt with each passing moment.  
  
He couldn't help but put one hand to his bloody cheek, despite how much more it hurt to touch it.  
  
"She is not being take by force," Krad smiled and put a hand on her waist. She didn't even flinch! She stood there like a statue as if she didn't mind his touch at all! Wasn't she supposed to hate Krad? "I am sparing you all and I get to keep her. I say it is a good deal for us all.  
  
He looked at Soyna. She stood still and her eye betrayed no emotion. What the hell was she thinking?  
  
"No!" He yelled and had to use his other hand to hold him up. His knees were starting to buckle.  
  
"Oh yes," Krad said. "Quite a wonderful little bonus considering that I can't conquer this planet in the way that I wish. But this radiant woman is a wonderful little consolation prize." He gave a little chuckle and allowed his eyes to wander over Soyna in a manner that he didn't care for at all!  
  
"No," was all that he could say.  
  
This couldn't be happening. With all her talk about how Krad had betrayed her before and how much she loathed him and the fact that Krad had killed his OTHER self and her husband! How could she! How could she even allow him to touch her!  
  
Ligh made a disgusted sound and said something about his father being foolish and stormed away from the windy mouth of the shuttle craft. He disappeared behind a door, in which he saw that there was two men piloting the craft.  
  
He turned back to looking at his OTHER selves daughter. She blinked and her look changed. He had seen that look in her eyes before. It was a look that told him that she had suffered a great loss. A look that scared him.  
  
She pulled away from Krad and stood in front of him. Her hair was flying wildly around her face and hiding some of her eyes from him. Hiding her true intentions.  
  
He nearly collapsed as a wave of pain took over him.  
  
Why was she doing this?  
  
He was unable to move from the spot that he stood.  
  
She stood in front of him and put her cool hand on his wounded cheek. Her lips twitched slightly. He couldn't tell if she was sad or mad at him for allowing the poison to touch him.  
  
He wasn't able to say anything. He just looked at her and really wished that he had known her when she was younger. He really wished he could have been a father to her. He really wished that his OTHER self hadn't had died and that she wasn't in so much pain.  
  
She spoke in a soft voice, "No one is going to die because of my pride this time." She stroked his cheek. Were those tears in her eyes? He wanted to reach out to her but he couldn't. He was frozen in place and he feared that if he moved, he would pass out. "You are all strong enough and can do fine without me."  
  
He made a groaning noise. It was all he could do.  
  
She shook her head and lowered it slightly. He couldn't see her eyes at all now.  
  
"You have to go back." She whispered and pulled his hand from the metal brace and held it firmly in hers. "I can't bear to loose you again."  
  
He really wished he could see her face.  
  
"Soyna," he managed to utter.  
  
She looked like she was in pain. She also looked like she was hiding something. He could see that she was.  
  
Then the world changed.  
  
He tried to reach for her but she slipped away. Her fingers let go of his hand and the his cheek no longer felt her cool caress.  
  
He was falling.  
  
She had pushed him!  
  
He was falling back to the earth. Away from her.  
  
He looked to see Soyna being pulled back by Krad and Krad having a rather evil looking smile as he pulled her close to him. Her eyes were so cold. Resigned.  
  
The door to the shuttle craft closed.  
  
He felt as if a part of him was missing now.  
  
Cut off.  
  
He screamed as he fell. He couldn't form any words.  
  
He couldn't get the strength gathered up to stop his fall or even think about stopping her.  
  
Her last words were, "I can't bear to loose you again."  
  
His scream filled with anguish. That was as close as she got to calling him her father. They finally gained a bit of that connection and it was lost.  
  
They all have lost her.  
  
...............  
  
Gohan looked up.  
  
He saw Trunks falling and was tempted to let him fall until he realized that he wasn't able to get enough power up to stop himself. The poison must have been taking a strong hold on him by now.  
  
He could feel his brother coming towards him and a very faint power signature of Vegeta along with him.  
  
He darted up to catch Trunks, only because Pan would never forgive him. He may not approve of the relationship, but it was what his daughter wanted.   
  
He grabbed the purple haired cradle robber and saw that his face was full of blood and it looked like he had been crying. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing was labored.  
  
He remembered how much pain Junior and Soyna had been in, whey that arrived with the poison firmly established in their systems. He remembered how it nearly killed them.  
  
He frowned as he dangled Trunks as he slowly lowered himself down.  
  
"Don't die on my fool boy," he muttered. " I will not have my daughter hurt because you couldn't keep your guard up."  
  
"Gohan?" Trunks eyes focused briefly on him and seemed to struggle to gain some composure. "She went with him. You got to stop her."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Soyna. She cut herself off. She went with him." Trunk's voice was full of pain. "She went with Krad." He let out a groan.  
  
Gohan looked up. He couldn't feel her as he searched for her. She was good at that though. She was very good at blocking and keeping her strength. He did feel that emptiness again. That-not-right feeling. Trunks groaned louder and seemed to start shivering.  
  
The poison was getting a firm grip.  
  
That poison sure acted quick.  
  
He looked up at the point in the sky where the shop had disappeared. What was Soyna doing?  
  
Trunks let out a moan and seemed to slip into unconsciousness.  
  
He tried not to think of Trunks as his daughters suitor. He couldn't stop the growl of disgust.  
  
He turned his attention to a quickly approaching Goten who was carrying a very ill looking Vegeta.  
  
Goten looked rushed and angry.  
  
He saw his younger brothers eyes grow wide and look at the same spot that he himself had just been pondering.  
  
Goten bared his teeth.  
  
"Why didn't you stop her!" Goten snapped.  
  
Gohan was unable to respond before his brother was right in his face with a growl and a very threatening look.  
  
He had never seen his brother looking like that before. It was terrifying to see such venom mixed with such sadness.  
  
"Vegeta's dying," Goten said. "take him to Raymond."  
  
Gohan found Vegeta thrust on him. He nearly dropped Trunks as the extra weight was thrown upon his shoulder.  
  
"Don't be rash!" Gohan yelled before Goten could fly off.  
  
"I have to get her back." His whole body was tense and he was shaking rather violently. What ever was possessing him?  
  
"Calm down!" Gohan snapped. "rashness will get us nowhere." Oh, he was one to talk about that. How many battles does he remember, which his anger won? He had control over it now, but that was now.  
  
His brothers eyes grew wide.  
  
"We can get her back! We have to take care of our injured first. It doesn't do any good for us all to die." Gohan said.  
  
Goten let out a big sigh and nodded his head. "Then let's hurry." He grabbed the dangling Trunks and took off.  
  
Gohan went yelling after him, telling him that Raymond was at their house.  
  
...............  
  
Krad thought he would be followed by the Saiyian Goten, but was glad that he had obeyed Soyna.  
  
He looked over at his new conquest, the beautiful Soyna. She looked stunning even in those torn fighting clothes that she was wearing. Her tail would have to go as it twitched annoyingly behind her but then it drew his attention to her lovely curves.  
  
He had already had an argument with his son about her.  
  
"She won't do what you want. You should just get it all over with and kill those other Saiyians!" Ligh had spat at him. The boy was down right rude!  
  
He shook his head at his son. "What do you know about women boy?" he was only a teenager. What could he know about them?  
  
Ligh shook in utter frustration. "I was on earth for two whole months father. These women are not like the others that you are used to encountering! They are different. She won't let it go that easily."  
  
He dismissed his son with the words, "She won't have an option." She was his now and that was that and there was nothing that was going to change that!  
  
"Why aren't we gone yet?" She was looking at he view screen which still showed earth, such a weak looking bobble.  
  
He put a hand on her shoulder. "I am not done yet." He could feel her powerful muscles tense underneath his hand. Such a powerful woman. He couldn't help but smile. He could rule the universe with her.  
  
"You should be done. I surrendered to you. Am I not enough?" Her eyes focused on him now. He never thought that he could be chilled by a woman's gaze, but her green eyes were like ice.  
  
He moved himself closer to her and breathed in her marvelous scent. "When we had the prior encounter, did I want you so badly then?" He could believe it. He had changed much of his plans since they arrived after seeing her. He couldn't help it.  
  
"Yes," She said simply and looking back down at the earth. She gave out a deep sigh. "You were charmingly deceptive."  
  
He laughed. "How did I fail?" He was curious.  
  
"You tried to kill my brother when he was right in front of me. You then confessed to the poisoning of my father. I opened my eyes." Her voice was a whisper. "Why are we still here? Shouldn't we be gone by now or are you torturing by staying so close to earth."  
  
He sighed. They were a safe distance now. He could tell her what his plans were.  
  
"Your family is very loyal to you. I want to gaurantee no interference. I can't have your boys or brother coming after you. I would hate to loose you," he pulled herself closer to him. Her tail was still annoyingly twitching around him with quick jerks.  
  
Her eyes were still focused on the blue ball outside the window of the ship.  
  
"Let us leave," her voice was ice. "I am going with you willingly. Don't change that arrangement."  
  
"I am not changing anything," he said and was forced to move to the side with her wildly jerking tail. She didn't look upset but her tail told him a different story. "I just want some assurances."  
  
Her gaze left the screen. He would have to remove that longing of hers.  
  
"There won't be," she sighed, "They will have nothing for them to come after."  
  
Her stance changed and her tail calmed down and wrapped neatly around her waist and was hid once again in her shirt of her outfit.  
  
He blinked and looked at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Her green aura grew around her in a violent wave. Her hair shimmered to gold and flew behind her. He couldn't help but take a step back.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
He had the suppressors on! Why weren't they working?  
  
Her aura changed to a violent red. She was screaming as it seemed to be burning her. Her hair changed back to the red and almost reached her knees! Her skin looked like it was on fire!  
  
"Last resort!" her voice screamed through the rushing power.  
  
He had no way of stopping her! This was the last thing that he expected her to do.  
  
............  
  
Legen froze where he stood.  
  
"Mom?" he whispered.  
  
He turned to look at the people around him. Didn't they feel it? He had felt it only once before when he was little. About three. She was over extending herself.  
  
The TV was no longer working. The announcer had gotten to annoying for ChiChi to handle and she had thrown a nearby statue into it.  
  
He felt a snap.  
  
Mom was over what she could handle!  
  
He was forzen in place.  
  
He was loosing his mother and he couldn't do anything about it!  
  
Raymond was putting a mask over his uncles eyes as uncle sat slumped in a chair.  
  
Pan was frantically pacing behind the couch alternatively pulling at her hair and clutching her stomach.  
  
ChiChi was in the kitchen throwing stuff around and ranting about how impossible her children are.  
  
Bra was trying to calm down Pan and saying something about Trunks.  
  
Fry and Benot were huddled into a corner looking with wide eyes at the crazed adults.  
  
Legen felt a panic rise in him and then have it quickly consumed by emptiness.  
  
It was very sudden.  
  
He gasped for breath.  
  
He cried out and hugged himself.  
  
He was aware that everyone was looking at him. Didn't they feel it? He knew that mom was very good at blocking her energy and life force, but couldn't they feel the emptiness that was there now?  
  
Mom was gone.  
  
He closed his eyes and slumped to the floor with a cry.  
  
...............  
  
Goten nearly dropped Trunks. He clutched his own chest and he had to struggle to stay in flight for a moment.  
  
Gohan looked at him oddly.  
  
He picked up speed despite the pain that still gripped him.  
  
Trunks seemed to feel it too. His eyes flickered open and he let out a pained groan. He was sure that Trunk's already pale skin went a few shades lighter.  
  
The pain vanished in a flash but a horrible emptiness replaced it.  
  
He tried not to think about the reason for it even though the tears of loss were already clouding his vision.  
  
  
.........................  
  
A.N.  
  
Don't be to mad at me.  
The next chapter will make up for it. I hope.  
  
Soyna.  
  
  



	32. If only...

C-34 If only.......  
  
  
  
Bulma was fighting the tears again as she could see that her husband was barely breathing. A bandage still dotted with blood on his chest, even after a month since he was poisoned.  
  
I had been so close so many times. Raymond had barely managed to save him. He hadn't even twitched his eyes, not even once, since they brought him home. Not even when she shook him or cried over him did he respond.  
  
Then there was her son. He was constantly moaning and groaning and sweating through his sheets. Pan took care of him most of the time, which left her a lot of time for her to spend with Vegeta. Of course, there were times, when she found herself taking care of a crying Pan.  
  
Raymond was checking the IV's and the mask that were connected to Vegeta. He let out a deep sigh, which meant that there was no real progress. Nothing was different from the last day. Trunks showed progress. Raymond had learned a lot from Junior and Soyna's poisoning and was able to help him out, but the same treatments didn't seen to work on Vegeta.  
  
He said his usual spiel, "I can't do anything else. Only time will tell." Raymond looked exhausted.  
  
"It's okay. You have done your best," she said trying to keep the tears out of her voice. Today she was managing to do that well. Other days were not so easy.  
  
Raymond gathered his things and left and quietly as he could.  
  
She took her normal seat next to her husband and sighed deeply.  
  
So much had happened in the last month.  
  
"THE NIGHT" had been so chaotic with the injuries and loss.  
  
The loss of Soyna was felt terribly among everyone, even though everyone reacted differently.  
  
Junior and the boys took it the worse. Junior just refused to talk and now spent most of his time alone. He even avoided the boys who would try to go to him for comfort but found that their uncle was distant in his own misery.  
  
Legen wouldn't admit that she was gone even though his own words about how that he saw her in his dreams all the time.  
  
Benot was trying to be a tough little boy. He was trying to be brave. When they had the funeral for Soyna, he had tried not to cry, but broke down and then laid all the blame on Goten.  
  
Poor Goten.  
  
As much as Junior had become a recluse, Goten was much worse. After the ceremony, Goten wouldn't even leave his room for two weeks.  
  
ChiChi got him out but he looked terrible and the only thing that he would mutter about was how it was his fault and he had to get her back somehow.  
  
Of course, with the boys blaming him for the loss of their mother it seemed to affect him all the more. Legen got into it one night yelling at him, saying that he should have stopped her and that he would never forgive him.  
  
Bulma was not stupid about that look in Goten's eyes. She made sure that the spaceship was non-operational and knew that he had tried it a couple of times, but never once approached her to fix it.  
  
Then there were the fights between Goten and Gohan. She did not see them fight but heard enough about them. Goten was blaming Gohan for stopping him in going after Soyna. The matches came to blows at times.  
  
They fought a lot from what he heard. ChiChi was the only one that kept them from killing each other in the house and being civil to each other.  
  
Bulma didn't know how long that was going to last.  
  
She sighed deeply and looked at her ill husband. She ran her hand through his hair,(knowing that he would hate that) and then leaned in and gave his cool cheek a kiss (knowing he would hate that even more).  
  
She knew she would be better if only he would insult her or yell at her or even snort and walk away.  
  
If only he would blink his eyes.  
  
If only she knew that he was going to come back to her.  
  
............  
  
Trunks sat up in bed and looked at the scar on his cheek in the mirror.  
  
He thought for sure that he was going to die from the thing. His OTHER self did, he didn't see why he didn't. Of course he had Raymond, a doctor that knew about the poison, doing something about it. He had recovered a lot quicker then Goten had, but all he could do with Goten's scar was wash it and keep it covered. He had no idea what else to do. Raymond was using a bunch of stuff with fancy names to help him along.  
  
He ran his finger down the scar.  
  
It didn't hurt anymore. The dark line was thin and jagged and would be a constant reminder of his failure.  
  
He put the mirror aside. He didn't need to remind himself of how had failed.  
  
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He wasn't supposed to get up yet, but he didn't want to spend another moment in bed. It had been a month. Spending hours in the office was better than spending any time in the bed now.  
  
He tested his legs and they felt sturdy enough.  
  
A real shower would be nice. He felt good enough to go have a shower as he slowly walked to the bathroom, being very aware if a muscle tremor threatened to take him down.  
  
He made it all right but had to grab the counter when he got in there as his thigh's started to shake.  
  
He was forced to look into a mirror again.  
  
He could only see the horrible black line on his cheek.  
  
It angered him.  
  
He let out a cry and punched the mirror.   
  
The glass shattered and he felt it cut his hand but didn't care. At least he wouldn't see that horrible black scar.  
  
He lived through how he saw that stupid boy coming at him! The knife and how he just stood there, stunned over the absense of Goten's thoughts and the thoughts that he remembered from Goten.  
  
He could have moved.  
  
He should have moved.  
  
If only they hadn't fused.  
  
If only he had been aware of what was going on.  
  
If only...  
  
............  
  
Pan was shocked to see the bed empty. She heard the scream and the shattering of glass.   
  
She ran into the bathroom to see Trunks looking at his bloody hand. He seemed quite pleased to see the blood dripping on the floor.  
  
"What the hell are you doing out of bed!" She snapped at him.  
  
He looked over at her and put on his best charming smile. "I want a shower."  
  
She was so mad at him. He was not well enough to get out of bed! "You could have waited until I was here to help you!"  
  
He gave a slight chuckle. "Is that an invitation?"  
  
She flushed and got even madder at him. "You are not well enough to be talking like that!" She grabbed his bloody hand and looked at it. "Why the hell did you do that?" She looked at the shattered glass that was all around him.  
  
His face grew dark and he strongly resembled his father for a moment. "I don't need a reminder of my failure." He brought his bloody hand to his face where the scar was as if he was trying to hide it.  
  
She felt that pang of pain in her chest. Everyone felt like they had failed. She felt like she had failed. Hell, she was beat by Marron, what could she have done, if they would have allowed her to fight. The child was sapping all her energy out of her!  
  
"How about a bath. Your legs are shaking. I don't think you can stand much longer," she said. Before he could protest she dragged him to the tub. She did not wish to bring up the loss again.  
  
It was too much to deal with.  
  
If only they had been more careful and she wouldn't have been such a hindrance.   
  
If only...  
  
............  
  
Junior sighed deeply as he looked down at his plate of food. Bulma was basically forcing him to eat. He wasn't hungry. She was forcing him to go to school too, just as she was forcing the boys to go too.  
  
Her arguments could not be countered.  
  
"Your sister/mother would not want you to become uneducated bums, now would she!"  
  
He still didn't want to go. He had missed so much. Not that he couldn't catch up on that. His eyes constantly were hurting now. He knew that partially because he usually cried himself to sleep at night. He had to wear his darkest glasses to ease the physical pain.  
  
He looked over at his nephews who were slumped over there food. They were dressed in their school uniforms also. They were not looking forward to going.  
  
Benot looked like he was angry and Legen looked like he was going to cry.  
  
He looked away from them.  
  
It was so hard looking at them, knowing that he failed them yet again. He had helped with the loss of their father and now it was the loss of their mother. He rubbed his cursed eyes under his glasses. If only he hadn't been so stupid and gotten the poison in his eyes...  
  
If only...  
  
...............  
  
  
Legen hugged his book bag as he sat on the bus. He ignored his friends around him. He knew that Fry had sat next to him, but he didn't want to talk to Fry. Fry was related to Goten and he hated Goten right now.  
  
He had dreamed about his mother again.  
  
He always dreamed about mom, now that she was...  
  
He shook his head. He never wanted to think about where she REALLY was. NEVER!  
  
The dream was such a nice dream and when Benot woke him, he never hated his brother more in his life.  
  
They were at the fair! They were going on all the rides and they were eating ice cream and laughing. He was riding on her shoulders as they walked through the crowded park. It was a wonderful dream. Just him and his mom.  
  
But now, he was on a loud crowded school bus with Fry trying to talk to him.  
  
He sighed deeply.  
  
He knew that his mom was out for revenge but the didn't think she would sacrifice herself to get rid of Krad. He never thought she would do such a thing. She had promised him that she would take care of them. She promised him that she would make sure that Krad never hurt them again.  
  
He sighed deeply.  
  
He should have made her promise that she would always be there for him. He should have made her promise that she would come back. Made her promise that she was not going to die!  
  
If only he had done that. Then he wouldn't have lost her.  
  
"You can't ignore me forever!"  
  
He looked over at Fry who was looking at him very angrily.  
  
Legen looked down at his bag full of books and sighed deeply. He knew that he shouldn't be mad at Fry. But Goten was his uncle.  
  
He HAD liked Goten. He couldn't believe that he thought he would make a good dad. Goten should have been there for mom. He should have stopped her.  
  
It was all Goten's fault!  
  
If only he had done what he should have done!  
  
............  
  
Gohan never felt so exhausted in his life.  
  
He had just another fight with Goten again. It was always the same. He would come into the room, looking rather sad and then as soon as he saw him, he would narrow his eyes and look like he was ready to kill him.  
  
They would get into a verbal sparing match and they almost came to blows again but ChiChi interfered again and angrily cried about how her boys should be getting along.  
  
Today, ChiChi had forced Goten to go back to school.  
  
It was the first time that he thought anyone ever talked back to ChiChi before. Goten didn't win, because mom pulled out the mother's secret weapon, tears and Goten crumbled.  
  
He looked at his own bag of supplies that he had to lug to school. He had offered Goten a ride, but he just snorted and looked like he had been ready to start another fight as he walked out the door.  
  
He did feel guilty about what he had done. He did feel like he should have just let Goten run after her but he knew that they both would be gone now if that was the case.  
  
Sometimes, he wondered if Goten was thinking that same thought.  
  
Trunk's was recovering well, but Vegeta wasn't. Raymond had given him a grim report about how he was deteriorating, but hadn't told anyone else yet. He couldn't get enough courage to tell Bulma that he couldn't save him.  
  
Gohan said that he was going to tell her. He knew her longer and he hoped she would take the news a little better from him.  
  
Raymond hadn't even told Bra yet that her father may not recover at all.  
  
It was left up to good old reliable Gohan.  
  
He sighed heavily.  
  
He grabbed his supplies and headed off to work. There was no point of playing the 'what if only I had...' game. It would only make him feel worse.  
  
............  
  
Goten couldn't even look at Junior who sat slumped as far from him as possible.   
  
Not that they could sit that far from each other sitting in the office waiting to get hauled into the principals office.  
  
They had gotten into a fight.  
  
It was more of a yelling match than anything in the beginning.  
  
Junior was blaming him for Soyna's death.  
  
"I was counting on you to protect her! I mean, you found her hiding spots when no one else could! You should have been able to protect her!" He snapped in a low voice at him. It was almost a growl. He sure as hell resembled Vegeta then and there and that still was unnerving.  
  
"I tried!" he had whispered back. "If you hadn't noticed, she was a head strong woman!"  
  
Junior's eyes narrowed as he looked at Goten. "I thought you liked her! I thought she listened to you!" His voice had gotten louder.  
  
He wanted to strike Junior but he had restrained himself. "You knew how much she hated Krad as much as I did!"  
  
Then the accusations were thrown about freely, the same ones that usually came out lately. You should have known she was going to do something like that, was what it boiled down to on both sides of the argument.  
  
Then Junior threw a punch. He easily stopped it but then the teacher came in and started yelling at them.  
  
"Is this about a girl again? Can't you two fall for a different girl than the same one all the time!"  
  
He vaguely remembered the fight that had sent them to the office last time. He rubbed the scar on his neck. They had told everyone that the fight was over a girl.  
  
It sort of was.  
  
He smirked as he remember soaking her and how vibrant she was when she attacked him in that half finished garden. Did he fall for her then? When they were fighting? He didn't know when it happened but he sure missed her now.  
  
The smile quickly left his face when he saw that Junior was eyeing him angrily. "What the hell do have to smile about?" His voice was a low growl. Boy, if only Vegeta was a couple of heads taller, his twin was right there. (without the sunglasses of course)  
  
"I was remembering how pissed off I got our sister when I shot her with the hose, after our last fight," the image of her seething and looking like she was going to kill him stuck in his head. He didn't much mind that image at all.  
  
She was beautiful in all his memories.  
  
Junior looked at him oddly.  
  
"Do you really think that she would have been my." He had to pause and close his eyes and almost spit the words out, "girlfriend. She did let me kiss her once."  
  
He knew that Junior was eyeing him but he didn't dare look up.  
  
"Every night I wonder what if I had just blasted him away as soon as he showed up. What if I stepped in sooner rather than letting her have the battle? What if I followed after her? What if I could have saved her?" Goten sighed deeply, more to stop his own tears from coming. He hadn't allowed himself to cry yet and he wasn't going to start now.  
  
He heard Junior low voice. "What if I hadn't been a fool and got myself poisoned in the beginning? What if I had persisted that she not do this alone? There is a lot of 'What if's' and 'If Only's'."  
  
He looked over at Junior who was rubbing his eyes under his dark glasses.  
  
They looked at each other for a bit. "I think she was starting to warm up to you," Junior said. "I thought I heard Benot complaining about you kissing her but I know how much Benot likes you."  
  
"I should have been able to save her," Goten said.  
  
Junior nodded but sighed. "We all should have, but there is that Saiyian pride issue again. She had so much of it."  
  
Goten nodded and frowned. She was such a proud woman. Right from the beginning this was her fight and she wasn't going to let anyone interfere. Could he have stopped it from happening?  
  
Of course, he would never know.  
  
If only they had another chance.  
  
...............  
  
Goten was tired but he knew that he didn't want to crawl into bed. He would only have the nightmare of loosing her once sleep did come or worse, he would dream that she was 'with' him in bed. Those were worse, because he felt so empty when he would wake up.  
  
Not that the walking really helped much either.  
  
Not much at all.  
  
Of course, seeing other lovers walking hand in hand or kissing by the fountain was maddening!  
  
He would never have that with her! All his kisses were stolen kisses. She never came up to him and kissed him! He pushed himself on her! Was he imagining their closeness? No. She wanted those kisses and she did wrap her tail around him that one time. That was as close as she got to showing him any sort of affection.  
  
He sighed heavily as he sat down at the fountain and stared through the droplets of water at a hotdog vendor at the other side.  
  
His stomach grumbled in protest.  
  
He hadn't eaten all day and now his body was revolting. It wanted to eat, even though he felt like he was going to throw up every time that he put something in his mouth.  
  
He didn't deserve to have any pleasure for failing Soyna.  
  
His stomach growled louder.  
  
He shook his head and rubbed his long hair. He really needed to cut it. He had been saying that he was going to get it cut from the day that he arrived home. It never really bothered him, being so long, but he knew that he should cut it shorter. He was not a kid anymore after all.  
  
He looked at the vendor again and saw that he was arguing with someone.  
  
He stood and started to go toward the vendor.  
  
He could hear the argument now.  
  
"...but I'm really really hungry! I haven't eaten in such a long time and it smells so good!" One voice whimpered.  
  
The Vendor's voice was sharp and high pitched. "No money! No food! I don't care how big you are! You can't intimidate me!"  
  
The man whined.  
  
Boy. Did that guy sound familiar but he couldn't place it.  
  
He walked closer digging in his pockets for money. He didn't have much, but it would get him enough food to hold him until he got home and stop the loud grumbling.  
  
He walked around to the vendor and the man he was arguing with.  
  
"Come on! Just one!"  
  
The man was big and could be considered intimating. He now saw why the Vendor had said that. Of course, some of that height had to do with his spiky black hair.  
  
"NO!" The Vendor yelled.  
  
"I haven't eaten for days!" the man protested and shuffled from foot to foot as if he were a child. The guy was a giant and he was begging for food.  
  
Goten walked past him and asked for two hotdogs and handed the Vendor the money.  
  
"Sure sir!" he said and then looked at the man. "See that is how it works! Money and then I give you food!"  
  
Goten looked up that the man who was now drooling over the two hotdogs that the vendor was creating for him.  
  
Goten nearly fainted.  
  
.................  
  
A/N  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	33. Do I know you??

  
  
  
C-35  
  
Do I know you?  
  
  
Gohan sat blinking at his daughter. She looked so different and he couldn't place what it was.  
  
She did look a little tired, but she has been so busy with finishing off her semester and taking care of Trunks that she hardly had any time to herself.  
  
But there was still something that he couldn't place. Something different and it upset him. He wished he could place what it was that was so different. Her hair was the same if not a bit wilder.  
  
Then he placed it.   
  
She had been gaining weight! Her cheeks were a little puffier and her clothes did look a little tight around her waist. She has been eating a lot lately, but then he didn't think it was unusual for someone in his family to eat the way she was. He didn't think it was possible to gain weight for a Saiyian. A fat Saiyian? He didn't think it was possible.  
  
And then she was female. Another problem.  
  
He knew better than to say something stupid like that to any woman!  
  
He watched her as she collapsed onto the couch with a sigh and then with a cheerful voice, "Hi daddy. How was your day today?"  
  
"Fine. Are you sure that your okay?" he said. He did not know how to be tactful with this subject.  
  
She let out a sigh again. "I feel like a whale!" she stretched out on the couch. He would hardly call her a whale. It was only a few pounds and once she started training again, he was sure that she would burn it off in no time. But then, he was not stupid enough to say it.  
  
She must have read his look for one of confusion.  
  
She sat up and patted the seat beside her. "Daddy. I got something to tell you."  
  
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. What now? What could she possibly want to tell him?  
  
............  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
Goten couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could he not recognize him!  
  
"Yes, you know me! I am you youngest son! Goten!" He said as he watched Goku stuffing the hotdogs down. "GOTEN!"  
  
He turned his head to one side and scratched the back of his head. He narrowed his eyes, and looked at him.  
  
"You do look a little familiar," he said and then turned his head to the other side. "But I think I would remember my own son!"  
  
Goten just stared at his father. A man that he had searched the universe for was sitting right in front of him! He could feel that he was his father even though he did look a little bit different. He was bigger since he last saw him about another foot high. He wasn't wearing his usual colors of orange and blue that he wore for so long. The blue was still there but the orange was replaced by black. He could see that there was something green on his arms. Tattoo's. Markings. But they really weren't that. It looked like a dragon's tail on one arm and a claw on the other.  
  
And his eyes. They seemed to shift from black to an emerald green but he thought that was his imagination.  
  
Was this what happens when you fuse with the eternal dragon?  
  
"Dad!" He snapped. "I am your son!"  
  
"I thought my son was named Gohan?" he said in a whisper.  
  
He remembered Gohan! How come he didn't remember him!  
  
"Dad. Where have you been!" he said.  
  
"Around. Don't really remember all that much. Do have any more of that money stuff. I am still hungry," he said and rubbing his flat stomach. "It feels as if I had not eaten in years!"  
  
He sighed. "Why don't we go home and I am sure ChiChi will cook up some food for you."  
  
Goku jumped up. "Right! ChiChi! I remember her! She's is a really good cook. Let's go."  
  
Goten felt his arm being grabbed and suddenly they were in the woods. It was the house that they used to live in before they moved into the city.  
  
"Hey! Is this home?" Goku said.  
  
"No dad. We moved into the city. Don't you remember?" That was a silly question. Of course he didn't remember. His brain was more Swiss cheese than normal!  
  
He just looked at the house with a confused look.  
  
He sighed. He got his father back physically, but it sure looked like his brain was gone.  
  
...............  
  
Trunks looked down at his father and then over at his sleeping mother who was in a cot beside him.  
  
He was dying. He felt it. He didn't need to be told. His father was dying. His chest was hardly even moving!  
  
He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Dad wouldn't want him to cry. Of course, he also knew that his father wouldn't want to die this way either! He would have preferred to die in the heat of the battle itself. A death suitable for a Saiyain Prince.  
  
He learned at a young age, you don't always get what you want.  
  
He wasn't supposed to be out of bed yet. His knees were starting to get a little wobbly but he didn't want to stay in bed any longer.  
  
He kept thinking about things and it was driving him nuts. He needed to move so that his mind would stop working for a little while. He didn't want to think about Soyna being gone. He didn't want to think about his father dying. He didn't even want to think about his relationship with Pan and their child. It all seemed such a high price to pay to live.  
  
He sighed and walked to the kitchen, using the wall for support. He wasn't hungry, but it was a mindless function that would hopefully clear his head.  
  
That is where he saw the boys at the kitchen table playing a game of cards.  
  
Legen looked at him first, "What are you doing out of bed? Pan said that you were supposed to be sleeping!"  
  
"You better sit down before you fall!" Fry said and pushed him to a chair.  
  
Benot just laid down his cards and looked at him. Did he blame him too for the death of his mother? He didn't want to know.  
  
"Pan made some sandwiches and left them in the fridge, just in case," Legen said. "Will that do?"  
  
He nodded and looked at the cards on the table. "What are you playing?" he asked.  
  
Benot answered, "A game that mom taught me." He didn't pry further as he began sweeping up the cards. "Crib. Mom said it was a good game to learn to do math with."  
  
He smiled. That was one of his favorite games too. They weren't using a peg board, they were just doing the pegging on paper. The way he usually did it too.  
  
He wanted to cry. His OTHER self must have taught her to do that. His OTHER self must have played the game with her all the time. He never saw her playing cards with the boys, but he did spend a lot of time at the office.  
  
Legen placed a sandwich in front of him and he shook the "what ifs" out of his head.  
  
"Can I play too?" he asked.  
  
Benot shrugged. "We'll pair up then."  
  
Fry and Legen smiled. When did Benot become the gloomy one? Legen seemed to be in a good mood today, or was he putting on a brave face?  
  
They had played about 4 rounds and he was starting to actually feel normal again. Benot refused to be his partner after loosing the first two rounds and now Fry and him were kicking Benot and Legen's butt!   
  
It felt good not to think about what had happened. Just worrying about the combination of the cards and numbers.  
  
Then the phone rang.  
  
............  
  
Gohan was in shock.  
  
"Are you sure?" he said. He just stared at her. He couldn't move.  
  
Pan nodded. "Are you mad at me?"  
  
No. He was mad at Trunks! But then, there was nothing he could really do about it now, was there? It was done. They had already announced their relationship and Trunks had been taking good care until he needed to be taken care of.  
  
"I thought you would be more careful," he whispered.  
  
"We were daddy. I was on the pill and we used condoms. It was just meant to be," she said.  
  
Maybe it was. He sighed. He still didn't have to like it. The thought of a grandchild wasn't bad, but he still had to work out his anger towards Trunks.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
He reached over and hugged his little girl.  
  
"He better marry you," he said.  
  
She laughed into his chest. "Of course he will if you don't threaten to kill him all the time."  
  
He sighed heavily. He definitely would have to stop that wouldn't he? He was starting to enjoy the look of fear on his face every time he saw Trunks. He was actually starting to feel a calmness over take him. A feeling that he hadn't had in a very long time.  
  
It didn't last long.  
  
............  
  
Videl was worried about ChiChi. She was busy cooking furiously away for the family as usual, but she was not looking well and she wouldn't admit it.  
  
Videl tried to get ChiChi to sit down and relax. She could finish the rest of the meal but she was stubborn and just kept on moving.  
  
She knew ChiChi was acting that way because of how her boys were constantly fighting.  
  
Videl sighed at sat down on the table, busing herself with peeling carrots, as she watched ChiChi furiously scurry around the kitchen.  
  
"I smell something good!" She heard a voice behind her. It sounded like Goten had a cold.  
  
"It's not ready yet," ChiChi said from the stove.  
  
Videl turned and gasped. She put a hand over her mouth and blinked at what surely had to be a vision.  
  
Goten stood there by a man that looked remarkable like Goku. Goku face was set in a pout and his hands on his stomach. "Aw, but I'm really really hungry."  
  
ChiChi turned around, waiving her wooden spoon as if she were ready to throw it. "It will be ready when it is ready," her stern voice trailed off quickly to the low tone. Her eyes grew wide.  
  
Goku smiled. "Hi! I'm home."  
  
Goten shook his head.  
  
ChiChi screamed and fainted.  
  
............  
  
Gohan rushed into the room and involuntarily powered up as he rushed in. He first saw his mother passed out on the floor. Goten was fanning her with a near by magazine.  
  
But it was the other man that stopped him cold.  
  
"Dad?" He couldn't believe that it was his father!  
  
Goku was looking down at the fainted ChiChi. "I didn't mean to scare her. Will she be okay?"  
  
"Dad!"  
  
Goku looked up and smiled. "Gohan! I remember you. You are my Gohan!" Goku rushed forward and hugged his son with a furious grip. Gohan heard Goten grumble something as he tried to wake up their mother.  
  
"Dad?" he said. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"  
  
He just laughed. "You should know better. I don't die that easily."  
  
ChiChi moaned and started to blink her eyes, "I had the most wonderful dream that my Goku has come back to me."  
  
"It's not a dream mom," Goten said. "He came back. Late, but he came back."  
  
She rushed to her feet and nearly tackled Goku who quickly embraced the weeping woman. "I missed you so much!" she cried, but that didn't last long. She pounded a fist into his hard chest. "If you leave me again, you better well stay dead or I'm going to kill you!"  
  
Goku just smiled and gave her a kiss.  
  
The whole room was silent in the touching moment.  
  
Until Goku's stomach grumbled.  
  
He gave a sly smirk. "I'm a little hungry."  
  
ChiChi just smiled. "You are never just a little hungry, you big goof! Sit down. Lunch will be ready soon."  
  
............  
  
Trunks felt weak as he got out of the car and was ashamed that his mother had to help him into the house. She was impatient to get inside to see Goku.  
  
He was too, but the poison was wearing him down again. He wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep but he knew that he couldn't.  
  
Goku was back.  
  
What did it mean? No. What could it mean, was the question.  
  
The house was full of noises. The boys, who had come along for the ride, hid behind the legs of Bulma. They had only heard stories about him. Fry was even a bit scared at the sight of him.  
  
Trunks could see why. Goku was different. He was bigger than he remembered. He looked a little rough in his darker clothes and... was that right, were those tattoo's on his arms?  
  
It was Goku, but a different Goku.  
  
He was sitting at the table stuffing his face with whatever food was at the table and within reach.  
  
Pan rushed over to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Grandpa's back!" was all that she said when she rushed in his arms. He clung to her to stay on his feet more that to comfort her.  
  
"Where was he?" Trunks asked. "Why was he gone so long?"  
  
Pan shrugged. "We haven't talked about that yet."  
  
He noticed that Goku had stopped eating and was staring right at him. His eyes narrowed. He finished his mouthful. "Why are YOU holding my granddaughter?"  
  
Goten mumbled something under his breath from his seat across from his father. He looked miserable.  
  
Trunks was taken aback by the question. He looked down and Pan and held her tightly to himself. Oh great, he thought, now I am going to have Goku wanting to kill me.  
  
"Grandpa!" Pan said. "He's my boyfriend!"  
  
He seemed to think about it for a second. He took some chicken and ate while he was in thought, then said. "He looks like someone that I don't think you should be involved with." His face got stern and Trunks could feel his whole body shaking. Pan held him firmly on his feet.  
  
"You know," Pan snapped. "It's my decision who I end up with, not yours!" then she obviously felt guilty for saying that. "I'm sorry Grandpa. Trunk's is good to me and that is all that there is to it. We are together."  
  
"Trunks," Goku contemplated. "Vegeta's boy! I remember now. Gee, I never saw that one coming," he smiled and resumed eating.  
  
"Grandpa sure is weird," Fry said from behind Bulma in a whisper.  
  
"He looks a lot like the wimp." Benot said.  
  
Legen just chewed his lip.  
  
Then Goten spoke up. "Where were you dad? I went searching for you and we couldn't find you. Where were you? Why did you have to leave us? What happened to you?"  
  
"Well," he said with a mouth full of noodles and then swallowed. "I don't remember much. It wasn't until a little while ago that I remember that I came from this planet. I really wasn't myself." He ate another mouthful. "Shelong and I joining was very confusing and we had to make sure that the dragonballs are safe and..."  
  
"DRAGONBALLS!" Everyone said at once. Goku stopped and cringed, a humorous pose on such an imposing figure.  
  
"I thought they were gone!" Gohan said. "They were to dangerous to have around... I thought they were destroyed when you... well, when you died!"  
  
"Magic is hard to destroy," Goku said. "But, it can be protected better!" There was a large grin on his face. "No more evil wishes!"  
  
"Dragonballs. Does that mean that we can wish mommy back?" Legen rushed forward. "You can bring my mommy back to me?" He grabbed Goku's large arm and looked up at him with tearful green eyes. "Can you?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Yes! You can bring Soyna back," Goten said. His eyes were blinking furiously. "Where are the dragonballs dad? We have to bring Soyna back."  
  
He looked confused between Legen and Goten.  
  
Benot rushed beside his brother. "Please sir! I miss my mom."  
  
Trunks smiled. They could get Soyna back!  
  
The room was a flurry of voices asking about the dragonballs. Goku sat in the middle trying to trace the voices around him.  
  
They could get Soyna back! He couldn't wait to tell father. His heart sank. Maybe if they had more that one wish, they could wish for him to get better too.  
  
............  
  
Next Chapter...  
  
How to make a wish.  
  
  
I know you just can't wait for it!!  



	34. How to make a wish

  
Here is the next chapter, which could have been put up sooner, but there was a lot of computer down time, my own, and the net, but here it is.  
  
  
  
  
  
c-36  
  
How to make a wish  
  
  
  
  
They had to explain to Goku about Soyna first and explain to him who she was and how she got here. He looked a little confused by it all, but he eventually understood it all.  
  
"So, can you wish my mommy back?" Legen pleaded, yet again.  
  
"Where are the dragonballs?" Goten asked.  
  
Goku patted his chest. "They are a part of me."  
  
"What?!!!"  
  
Boy, the sound in the room sure echos.  
  
"Shelong, the dragonballs, and I are all one now," Goku said. "I'm still getting used to it."  
  
They all blinked at him.  
  
"But, I can still get my mommy back, right?" Legen said. "How do we get them out of you, so that we can make the wish. I would like to have her back soon."  
  
"Someone must defeat me in order to get the dragonballs to activate," he said.  
  
"WHAT??!!!!?!?!?"  
  
Legen looked like he was going to cry and the rest of the room was in shock.  
  
"Defeat you!" Trunks said in awe. "How can you expect anyone to do that?" Not in his current state! The man had become a powerhouse. How could they even expect to tire him out?  
  
Goku smiled. "That's the whole point. No more evil wished to corrupt the dragonballs."  
  
Legen's lip was quivering and his large eyes were full of tears. "So, I how am I going to get my mommy back!" He was all out crying and ChiChi went to scoop him up. Benot was trying hard not to cry but Bulma wrapped her arms around him and he didn't try to run away from her grip.  
  
"Let's go," Goten said.  
  
"Wha?" Goku said.  
  
"I have to try to get her back," Goten said.  
  
"Aw, gee. I just got home and I'm tired and I would like to try to remember some more before..."  
  
Goten's fist smashed into the table causing all the dishes to shake and a cup to fall to the floor and shatter. "NO! Now! We have to get her back."  
  
...............  
  
  
Goku looked down at the man that claimed to be his son Goten. He still didn't remember him and it bothered him. He should remember his own son, shouldn't he? He was a strong fighter, not strong enough, but definatly had the blood of a Saiyian in him.  
  
There was so much to think about and his head hurt because of it.  
  
This Soyna person that they all say was gone. He wished that he could just pull out the dragonballs and make the wish that they all wanted. But he knew that it couldn't be that easy. That was not allowed. They had to be careful with the use of the dragonballs.  
  
He looked over to his wife.  
  
She was why he came home. He remembered her. He remembered how badly he had treated her when he was on that other planet and saw how the husbands would help out the wives. He had tried to remember if he had ever done that. He had helped a bit with Gohan, but he did not remember with Goten.  
  
He looked as Goten was struggling to his feet. He was panting heavily and his black hair was shifting back and forth to gold. He wasn't going to be able to hold that form for much longer at the rate his energy was fading.  
  
He sent a weak ki blast at him and sent him reeling into a near by tree. He didn't want him to take another punch from him. He had a hard time controlling his strength. At least with the ki, he could control it.  
  
The match was over that quickly.  
  
He looked over at the two boys that were Soyna's children.  
  
The one with the purple hair was scowling over at Goten. "Wimp." Was all he said. The blond haired boy, Legen he believed was his name, looked as if he was going to cry. "Get up Goten."  
  
Goten lay in a heap at the bottom of the tree, blinking his eyes. He was not able to move.  
  
He felt kind of bad that they would not be able to get their wish.  
  
...............  
  
Junior looked down at his grandfather. He could feel it. He didn't need to be told that he was dying.  
  
He never really got along with him. He wasn't a fighter. Never was. Soyna didn't let him train when he was little. She always said that he was to small, that was until he hit a growth spurt at the age of 14. Then he was no longer interested in that. And she was no longer interested in teaching him. Vegeta was a fighter and he was a thinker, like Bulma.  
  
He had heard about the arrival of Goku but also heard with dismay what his arrival brought. Hope and despair all in one.  
  
How could they defeat the unbeatable?  
  
He sighed and tentatively touched the cold hand of his grandfather. "You'll be able to see Soyna soon. You can give her hell for doing such a stupid thing. Krad wasn't that strong. We could have stopped him without her sacrificing her self to destroy him." He sighed deeply. "Make sure you hit her a good one up side her head."  
  
...............  
  
Gohan lifted his brother up.  
  
"Don't you have any sensu beans?" Goku asked. "That will heal him up real quick."  
  
"That would be a last resort," Pan said. "The beans react with the poison in those black wounds of theirs. It could kill him. Only if Raymond says that it is okay can we give him one. Plus, I think he has been humiliated enough for one day."  
  
"Poison?" They had mentioned that. He didn't really understand what it was and what it did to them. For the first time he noticed the black mark around Goten's throat. He blinked at it.  
  
He looked over to Trunks. He was poisoned too.  
  
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.  
  
So much pain since he had left. Didn't he leave so that this stuff wouldn't happen anymore? That was the reason he left.  
  
"Goten," he whispered and walked over to his long haired son. Yes, he was starting to remember now. He had left once so that his son, Goten, wouldn't have to fight. It didn't work out then, why did he think it would work out the second time or the third?  
  
Before he could say anything he noticed that Bulma was standing to leave. "I have to get home back to Vegeta." She said. "Are you staying here Trunks?"  
  
Vegeta.  
  
His only Saiyian friend/foe. He remembered enjoying there strained relationship. Someone who understood him. Well, understood parts of him, that no one else understood.  
  
Didn't they say something about Vegeta?  
  
"I'll stay if that is okay with Gohan?" Trunks said. "Pan can drive me home later."  
  
Vegeta.  
  
They said that he was poisoned, didn't they?  
  
"Come on boys. Let's go," Bulma ordered the two boys to the air car.  
  
Vegeta was dying. He reached out to feel the life force and usual strength of the stubborn Prince but he didn't feel the strength. He felt weakness and a life force that was almost gone.  
  
"How is Vegeta doing?" he blurted to Bulma. Yes, Bulma, one of his oldest friends in the world.  
  
She sighed, "He will wake up any time now." Her smile was forced and there was tears starting to glisten in her eyes. She shook her head and jumped in the car. "Got to go." She tried to give a cheerful wave and was gone, with those two strange boys in tow.  
  
Everything sure has gone to hell in his absence.  
  
Why was it good to leave again?  
  
Oh yeah, everyone was supposed to be safer.  
  
...............  
  
ChiChi was so glad to have her husband back. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and a look of worry was all over his face.  
  
She traced the strange marking of Shelong that marked his body now. The green dragon seemed to glow on his skin.  
  
But she had her husband back.  
  
She had always been envious of Bulma, because she got to keep her husband, while hers had to go and sacrifice himself and leave her all alone.  
  
It seemed that the two Saiyians were never around each other for very long. If Vegeta was dead, then Goku was alive. If Goku was dead then Vegeta was alive. Wasn't it?  
  
Goku murmured something in his sleep that she didn't catch. It didn't matter.  
  
Now, Bulma was going to loose Vegeta.  
  
She had Goku back. The Dragonballs and the dragon had changed him, but she still had her husband back, more or less.  
  
...............  
  
Fry woke to a terrible dream.  
  
He bit his pillow so that a scream wouldn't come out. He didn't want to wake his mother. She woke up with the slightest sound, it seemed.  
  
He closed his eyes and tried to push the awful images out of his head, but it just wasn't happening.  
  
They all involved about how scared he was of his newly introduced grandfather. He had seen pictures and heard stories about Goku, but he was not like those. He was different.  
  
He saw how easily he tossed Goten around and Goten was no slouch of a fighter, no matter how often Benot called him a wimp.  
  
He could do that to anyone and he had such power at his fingertips.  
  
He had the power to make wishes come true. Good or bad. That scared him. He didn't remember what made him want to scream. The images were fading and just leaving him with a sense of dread.  
  
No one else was afraid of him.  
  
Why was he?  
  
He tried to get to sleep again, but it would not come. Every time he closed his eyes the feeling of dread would come again.  
  
..................  
  
Junior sighed heavily as he walked through the trees of the forest. He had flown here to be alone but he could hear people around everywhere. This used to be a quiet area of the woods.  
  
But it was still better than home.  
  
Everyone was more so filled with despair than they were before Goku's arrival home.  
  
The Dragonballs were in their grasp. They were right there! And they couldn't get at them.  
  
"Sis, why did you leave me all alone," he muttered. He wished that he could talk to her and make her realize what a stupid thing she had done. Of course, if he could talk to her, he probably would just babble on about how much he missed her.  
  
He walked past a family on a picnic.  
  
Was his family ever like that? Happy? Whole?  
  
It seemed so long ago.  
  
It seemed like another life time.  
  
He wanted that back, but how were they going to make that wish come true without getting at the dragonballs?  
  
...............  
  
Trunks looked in the room where is father was. He was on a respirator now. He had stopped breathing through the night.  
  
Mom was talking with Raymond.  
  
Dad wasn't going to last much longer.  
  
..................  
  
Fry frowned as he sat down for lunch at school. Why the hell did they force him to go? He already got in trouble three times. He wasn't paying attention. He was tired and he kept thinking of his newly returned grandfather.  
  
Legen and Benot joined him.  
  
"Has the wimp figured out a way to beat your grandfather yet," Benot said as he sat down. No hello or anything of that sort. Boy, he could be rude at times.  
  
"No," he said simply and stared at his food. He wasn't that hungry.  
  
Legen just sighed and started to eat his lunch.  
  
They were silent for a long time.  
  
"I really was hoping for mom to come back." Legen said. "Why does everything in our families have to revolve around fighting?"  
  
"It's the blood," Benot said. "They can't help themselves."  
  
Legen glared at his brother. "You are not much help! You are just like all the others. You like to fight as much as they do!"  
  
"Yeah! SO!" he snapped back. "So what if I am more like mom that you are!"  
  
"Take that back!" Legen snapped. His eyes were full of tears that were threatening to fall. "Mom wanted neither of us to fight and you go and start training now! She would not be happy about it!"  
  
"Well, someone has got to protect the family!"  
  
"Oh! OH! And you are the one to do it!"  
  
"Uncle can't! Grandpa can't! Papa Vegeta is dying! Someone has to step up to the plate!"  
  
"And that is you! You are more of a wimp that Goten!"  
  
"Take that back!"  
  
"Make me!"  
  
Fry grabbed an arm of each of his friends. He was very aware that the whole lunch room had stopped eating and they were staring at them. "Come on you two. Calm down. Yelling at each other and fighting among each other would not solve the problems!"  
  
"It would sure make me feel better!" Benot snapped.  
  
"It won't bring mom back," Legen whispered and pulled his arm away from Fry.  
  
"Well, How can I just sit here and let that wimp Goten try to get mom back when all he did was get thrown around like a rag doll!" Benot growled and pulled his arm away from Fry.  
  
Legen shrugged.  
  
Benot sighed and sat down and began to stuff his face with a cookie.  
  
Fry sighed. There had to be a way to beat Grandpa so that everything would be back to normal again.  
  
He was so tired of all the arguments.  
  
This morning was no exception.  
  
Dad and Uncle Goten started off with their usual growling and arguing. Goten looked like crap! He was constantly holding his side. Dad just wanted him to get Raymond to look at his ribs but Goten refused.  
  
The tension between them, seemed worse that it had been before!  
  
Then Grandpa came down without a shirt on and they saw the shimmering dragon tattoo that covered his chest, back and arms.  
  
He assumed that it was Shelong.  
  
He tried to diffuse the situation between the two brothers but it only got worse and then ChiChi was forcing Goten to go to school despite the fact that he nearly doubled over when she poked him n the chest.  
  
His whole house was mess.  
  
Everything was not the way it was supposed to be.  
  
Now that they didn't seem to have an enemy to 'look forward' to fighting with, they had all turned on each other.  
  
He sighed heavily.  
  
There had to be a way to beat grandpa.  
  
Had to be.  
  
.....................  
  
Junior wasn't in class.  
  
That was fine by Goten. That was just fine. They probably would have just got into another fight.  
  
Goten sighed. He still kept looking over at his empty desk though.  
  
Damn it!  
  
He was his best friend despite the last little bunch of arguments. They all felt guilty about Soyna. They all did. He knew that Junior was hiding a lot of his pain, just as he was hiding a bunch of his.  
  
Damn him!  
  
How the hell was he going to defeat his father?  
  
How was he going to get Soyna back?  
  
If he could get her back, would she allow things to continue on as they had been?  
  
Damn.  
  
He should have skipped school.  
  
..................  
  
Benot frowned as the teacher was talking about something that he didn't understand or that he really didn't want to.  
  
The teacher had separated them all because they would keep throwing angry whispers at each other.  
  
Benot didn't mean to be angry with them, but it was easier to take the anger out on them than try to be angry with who he really was.  
  
Fry looked dreamy as he tapped his pencil absently on his desk. He wasn't paying attention either. He was staring at the board but his eyes were not focused at all.  
  
He looked over at his annoying brother who seemed to be engrossed in what the teacher was saying. That was how he dealt with things though. He would allow himself to be distracted by something else.  
  
Suddenly Fry dropped his pencil and his eyes grew wide.  
  
He didn't even grab his books as he ran out of the room, ignoring the calls from the teacher.  
  
Where the hell was he going?  
  
............  
  
  
I know. Another cliffhanger...  
  
Why did little Fry run out of the classroom like that?  
Will those pesky Dragonballs finally get used to bring Soyna back?  
Will everyone stop fighting with each other?  
What will happen to Vegeta?  
Oh...! The questions! The questions!  
  
Well, you will just have to wait for the next chapter, now won't you.  
  
  
Stay tunned!!!  
  
  
Soyna.  
  
  



	35. Loophole

  
I think you will all like this chapter a little better.  
  
  
C-37 Loophole  
  
  
  
  
Goku found that he couldn't look at Vegeta for long. Seeing him like that was.. was... just not right. Seeing Bulma like that was not right either.  
  
He made a very lame excuse and left the room.  
  
That is what Goten had meant about him being late. It seemed like everyone was falling apart, even though their enemy had been defeated.  
  
He sighed deeply and sank into a chair. A book full of pictures sat beside it. He opened it and scanned through it. He did not recognize some people but the sight of Bulma, a little different and Trunks, who was even more different clued him into that the red haired child must be this Soyna that they were all missing so much.  
  
She was a pretty girl and it seemed that she grew up to be a beautiful woman.  
  
Suddenly, the book was torn from his hands.  
  
He looked up, startled.  
  
"Vegeta?"  
  
"Why were you looking at this!"  
  
He looked again. This boy was much too large to be Vegeta and what was with those dark glasses? No. This must be Junior that he had heard so much about.  
  
"Nobody is allowed to touch this!" He looked angry.   
  
"I'm sorry," he said and stood.  
  
The boy did look so much like Vegeta, it was almost uncanny. It was a shame that he wasn't a fighter.  
  
"This is all I have left of my family!" His voice was strained. His shoulders were shaking. His glasses were doing more that protecting his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said again.  
  
"Why are you here anyway!" He snapped. "Just here to spread some more misery around? More misery as you taunt us with the hope of getting her back."  
  
He noticed that very few said her name anymore. It was just 'her'.  
  
"I..."  
  
He sniffed and turned to leave clutching the book tightly to his chest as he did so.  
  
He sighed.  
  
He wished he understood what was going on a little better.  
  
He still had memory bursts. He didn't realize that he had forgotten so much and then he had missed so much.  
  
He rubbed his chest impatiently. If only he could get the dragonballs out of him so that he could wish his own memory back to normal!  
  
...............  
  
Gohan shook his head. "No."  
  
Goten stood up from his chair. "But..."  
  
"NO!" Gohan snapped. "Didn't you feel his power! Even if I could fuse with you, we still would not stand a chance."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I am not the fighter I used to be. I don't get those burst of energy even when I am mad! Don't you think I thought of it!"  
  
"Dad...?" Fry had entered the room and was holding a note in his hand. He was ignored.  
  
"We have to try!" Goten said. "You will never know unless we try!"  
  
"NO!" Gohan yelled back. "I am not going to be a fool! There has to be a way to defeat him, but throwing brute force around has never accomplished anything!"  
  
"Dad?" Fry hid behind a kitchen chair. They were both glowing. Grandma wasn't home, so this could lead to a very explosive fight.   
  
"Sitting doing nothing, didn't accomplice anything either! Damn you! When did you decide that you were going to be late for everything!" Goten growled.  
  
The glow was getting brighter.  
  
Gohan looked like he was going to attack Goten.  
  
"What are you saying!" Gohan sneered.  
  
"At least Dad would show up in the nick of time!" Goten snapped.  
  
Fry decided that he would give his father the teachers note later and he would go back up to his room.  
  
Gohan looked stunned.  
  
"He left you to take care of us all and you screwed it up!" Goten said.  
  
"How...?" Gohan's face was red with anger.  
  
"You could be stronger than anyone in the universe, but you have to be so selfish and stick your nose into book..." Goten didn't finish his sentence was Gohan punched his brother.  
  
Fry was frozen in the door way.  
  
He was scared that he would get in the way of a blast. Terrified that he would, but he was frozen in place as they stood eerily still. Goten had his hand on his cheek where Gohan punched him.  
  
"See, you can get angry enough," Goten said and spat out some blood.  
  
Dad looked like he was going to cry but he still stood in a rigid stance, his hands in fists as if he was going to hit again.  
  
"You should have never come back," Gohan snarled. "You were better off being an irresponsible kid! News flash Goten! You are not a kid anymore, even though mom still forces you to go to school. You are an adult and you should realize what the responsibilities of an adult are! I have a family to protect! I also have to feed them! I can't just be a fighter!"  
  
Fry bit his lip. He looked down at the now teachers note. He definitely would wait until after dinner to give it to him.  
  
"You should have stayed a semblance of one!" Goten snapped. He threw a punch this time.  
  
Gohan jumped back into the kitchen table. A chair got pushed out of the way.  
  
"You are the one that brought Krad here!" Gohan snapped back and retaliated with a punch. Goten flew back, even though he did not see the punch hit. "If you had taken care of them in space or stayed at home, we would have to never have had worried about them even coming here!"  
  
Goten let out a very angry and frustrated scream.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Goten screamed. The whole room was starting to shake. Some glasses feel to the floor.  
  
He could feel the energy pushing him away.  
  
"Daddy!" he yelled in desperation.  
  
They still didn't hear him.  
  
"It's true! If you had just finished school and gone on to some job and married Paris things would have been so much better around here! Soyna wouldn't be dead and no one would be poisoned and about to die!" Gohan snapped.  
  
He was glad that his dad was not mad at him. He had never seen his father so angry in his life!  
  
Goten grit his teeth tightly together. His black hair shifted to gold and amazingly grew even longer.  
  
"Struck a cord did I?" Gohan said.  
  
"You should have been there!" Goten said fighting tears that were forming in his glowing green eyes. "You could have stopped it all! When did you become such a coward!"  
  
"Daddy!" Fry screamed as the walls were starting to shake and the floor beneath his feet was vibrating. They still didn't hear him. "Daddy! Stop it!"  
  
Both were set into grimaces and ready to lunge at each other.  
  
He had to stop them!  
  
He ran out and grabbed his father's leg. He didn't say anything, he just clutched on to it with all his might. The energy that he was emitting nearly threw him off, but he locked his arms around his leg and held on.  
  
Suddenly the tension was gone out of the room. The dust settled and they were looking down at him.  
  
"Fry?"  
  
He looked up at his father. "Don't fight. Please don't fight. I don't want to loose my daddy. I like our family the way it is."  
  
He didn't know where that came from but he sort of did. He saw how Benot and Legen grew up with out a daddy. Having an uncle and Vegeta was not the same. At least they had a strong mother but they lost her too. They just weren't the same now and he didn't want to have anyone lost in his family. Hell, everyone was back! He wanted to keep it that way.  
  
The two brothers looked at each other. Goten had powered back down and was a normal again.  
  
He felt himself being lifted by his father.  
  
"I'm sorry son," he said simply and looked over to Goten. He looked like he was going to say he was sorry to him too but Goten spoke first.  
  
"I guess it is all our own fault. We all are blaming each other for all that happened when it really could not be helped." Goten said in a low voice.  
  
Gohan nodded. "We will work something out."  
  
Fry brightened. "I know what we can do!" he said quickly. "When Grandpa gets..."  
  
"We will think of a way to defeat him in a fight. It will take all available fighters.  
  
"Dad!!" Fry said as he was set down.  
  
"There has to be a way," Goten said. Hope sparkled in his eyes.  
  
"If there is we shall find it," Gohan said.  
  
"Dad!" Fry said. Why wasn't any one listening to him!  
  
"Go do your homework, while we clean the kitchen," Gohan said as he looked at the mess they created and a destroyed chair.  
  
"But Dad, I have..."  
  
"Yeah, we better get it done before mom gets home. She will kill us," Goten said with a smirk.  
  
"...an idea."  
  
"Go on Fry. You know the rules about dessert if you don't finish your homework." Gohan said and then turned his back.  
  
He scowled and went upstairs.  
  
If no one was going to listen to him than he would have to take care of it himself! Well, he would call up Benot and Legen. He couldn't do it alone.  
  
..................  
  
Goku was scared. Well, scared wasn't the right word. Worried, wasn't the right word either. Panicky? That was closer.  
  
Vegeta had stopped breathing. They got him breathing again but it was just a sign that it was closer than they were telling him. Death was coming for Vegeta and there was no way back.  
  
He rubbed his chest. It hurt him in a way that he did not ever remember it hurting before. He frowned as ChiChi grabbed his arm and cuddled close to him as they walked out. She insisted on driving even though he could have got them here much quicker by flying or transporting them, but she shook her head and insisted on the car.  
  
He felt bad that he would not be able to help anyone even with his great powers. He wished he knew of a loophole.  
  
He saw the way that Vegeta Junior glared at him and how the two young boys bite their lips as if they wanted to ask him something.  
  
It was how everyone looked at him.  
  
"You are awfully silent dear," ChiChi said as they drove home.  
  
He just gave a grunt. He thought coming home would be a joyous occasion. That emotion didn't last for very long unfortunately. The only person that was still glad to see him was ChiChi.  
  
He wished he could just let them win the fight so that they could have the wishes but it just didn't work that way.  
  
There always had to be some task that had to be won or achieved to get the wish, it wasn't any different now. Just a lot harder.  
  
"Don't worry dear. Things will work out. They always do." ChiChi said and patted his knee.  
  
It didn't make him feel any better.  
  
............  
  
Trunks could hear the boys crashing around downstairs. What were they doing now? He didn't have the energy to go a check. Mom or Junior could yell at them later, right now he wanted to sleep no matter how hard it was to go to sleep.  
  
He was worried that Gohan would be coming to see him at any minute to finish off the job that the poison didn't do.  
  
Pan had told him that she told her father.  
  
"You had better marry me soon, or else dad will kill you," she joked but it wasn't really a joke.  
  
He had full intentions of doing so, but he didn't want to do it in the mess that was around them all right now.  
  
"That is MINE!" Benot yelled and there was a crash.  
  
"LOOK what YOU did!" Legen yelled back.  
  
"If you would have just given it to me!" Benot said.  
  
Their voices went back to murmurs.  
  
He really didn't want to know what they were doing!  
  
He put an arm over his eyes.  
  
Panny.  
  
A baby. Would it be a girl or a boy? Would it have his hair or hers? Would it want to become a fighter? Would it be smart?  
  
He smiled. Names. What kid of name should the kid have? A boy? Boxer? Would Pan go for that? Hell, mom just about named him that. What about a girl? He had no idea what a good girl's name would be. Char? Didn't matter really. He knew Pan would have the greater say in it.  
  
"Hurry up you wienie!" Benot yelled. "Fry is waiting for us!"  
  
Yeah, soon, he would have a little brat running around the house, surely rivaling those two in yelling matches.  
  
What if they did decided to have more children? How many did Pan want? His family was not that large. There were much larger families out there. He remembered seeing what mom went through with Bra. It was really hard on her, but then, Pan was part Saiyian.  
  
"YOU DON'T NEED THAT!" Leggett yelled.  
  
"YES I DO!" Benot yelled right back. There was a crashing sound, some silence and the sounds of door slamming shut.  
  
He was much to tired to see what terror the boys have caused. He hoped that his energy would be back to normal for his own child.  
  
.....................  
  
Fry could feel the tension between the two brothers even in his room. He didn't much care for it.  
  
But he was going to put a stop to it all!  
  
Hopefully.  
  
He put the teachers note on his bed and picked up his bag. He looked at his watch. Where were they? They were late!  
  
Oh well, he wasn't ready to go yet anyway.  
  
He went back downstairs to see his father and Goten talking with raised voices out in the garden. They had done a bad job in the kitchen. Grandma would yell at them for a couple of hours over the mess that they had done. He thought they just went out there because they didn't want him to hear.  
  
They were speaking loud enough for him to see the glass shaking on the glass door!  
  
He grabbed himself something to eat from the fridge, not that there was much in there to snack on. His family always seemed to have an empty fridge!  
  
The door opened and grandma and his new grandpa came it. As he thought would happen, grandma freaked over the kitchen and at first started in on him, but he pointed to the real culprits who were now looking like they were going to come to blows outside and she went to verbally attack them.  
  
Grandpa Goku looked kind of down.  
  
Where were the others?  
  
Goku went to the fridge and his frown drew deeper as he closed it. He looked at grandma berating the boys and shook his head.  
  
"Grandpa?" he said nervously. He was still scared of the man. He is so large and with those tattoo's he thought of gangs and bikers.  
  
He looked down with those shifting dark eyes that made him even more nervous that before. "Yes?"  
  
Where was his back up? Where were those two hooligans! They better not be fighting again! He looked away from him and looked at his feet. "Can we do a grandfathery and grandsony thing together." Boy, did that sound lame. "Away from all t his so that I can get to know you? Just a walk in the woods or something?"  
  
He looked up briefly and saw a large grin on his face. Today must be the perfect day to bring that up. "Sure!" He said. "We can got to the park!"  
  
He smiled and nodded.  
  
That is when Benot and Legen came in, panting as if they were out of breath. They started to throw excuses around.  
  
Goku looked a little down now.  
  
"Can they come with us," Fry said. He wanted them to come just because he didn't know what was going to happen.  
  
"I..."  
  
"Please," all three of them did at once. Very effective! He saw his grandfather smile (where those fangs) and sigh.  
  
"All right. Where do you want to go? I can't remember any good places anymore. I am sure you boys know of places that are good to go too."  
  
They all nodded.  
  
...............  
  
Goku never felt so relaxed even with the three boys sitting on his back as they flew, almost to slowly for his taste (at one point the speed was to hard for him to reach) but they were giggling and acting like pilots.  
  
They were more relaxed now. Fry had always seemed tense around him and now he was acting like he remembered kids acting. Legen was a little nervous but the boy was not that bad. Benot called him a wimp look a like under his breath a couple of times. Pan had explained to him why that was. It was rather funny when you thought about it.  
  
"Over there, Goku!" he saw a small hand direct him into a bunch of trees. It was Legen's.  
  
"Why there?" Fry said.  
  
"That was mom's place!" Legen said.  
  
The tension seemed to come back to the three boys.  
  
They were up to something and he was involved. Or more precisely, they wanted him involved.  
  
He landed in a place that was stunningly beautiful. There was a tree full of apples and a nice slow stream flowing nearby. It was nice and cool under the shade of the trees.  
  
The boys jumped down off of him and he let his feet settle on the soft earth.  
  
Benot and Fry looked as if this was all new to them. Legen beamed as if he had a say in how things looked around them.  
  
"This was your mother place?" Goku asked Legen.  
  
"Yeah, she took me here once and she had made me promise not to tell anyone about it, but I figure it is a good as place as any to bring mom back."  
  
He raised his eyebrows. THEY intended on fighting HIM? Goten couldn't beat him, how did they expect too!  
  
Fry took the bag off his shoulders and started to rummage through it.  
  
"You intend to fight me?" he almost laughed but he held that back. He didn't want them to get upset. Well, more upset.  
  
"No," Benot said. "We aren't stupid!"  
  
Boy, did he have an attitude problem. He must have inherited that from Vegeta.  
  
"Well then, you boys better explain yourselves," he said and eyed the tree. Those apples looked really good and ripe and he was hungry.  
  
"You said that 'Someone must defeat me in order to get the dragonballs to activate' so that is what we plan to do," Fry said. "I know I put them in here."  
  
"Here, let me look," Benot said and pushed Fry out of the way.  
  
He chuckled. He couldn't help it, "How do you plan on defeating me?" This should be humorous. He was way too strong for even a trick to work.  
  
"Here they are!" Benot announced and pulled out a little rectangular package.  
  
"You never said what we had to defeat you at! I found the loophole right!?" Legen said as he snapped the package up from Benot. "I am really good at cards I know I can beat you at that!!"  
  
He blinked. He never thought of that. He put a hand to his chest and he could feel a stirring in there. The same stirring that came when Goten challenged him.  
  
"I guess you did find a loop hole!"  
  
All three boys cheered. Legen actually looked like he was on the verge of tears.  
  
They all sat on the ground and the cards were shuffled and dealt.  
  
He would have to make it clear to anyone that tired to get the dragonballs next, would have to fight him. He was not good at these silly cards games.  
  
................  
  
  
  
Well. Well. Well...  
  
Next chapter.   
  
  



	36. Healing

  
  
  
  
  
C-38 Healing  
  
  
Junior felt bad for snapping at Goku like that. It wasn't his fault. He had been think of her again and how mad he was at 'her' for leaving her alone.  
  
It wasn't his fault that he was looking at the pictures.  
  
He held the book to his chest as he walked into the Son household yard. Gohan and Goten looked as if ChiChi had just finished yelling at them. They kept looking down at their feet, even though the odd glare would strike them.  
  
It looked like she had been yelling at them a long time.  
  
Either ChiChi got tired of them fighting or they destroyed something and from the sounds of it as he got closer, they had destroyed something.  
  
They both looked really happy to see him.  
  
"Junior," they both smiled. "What are you doing here?" Goten added and went to his side. He saw his eyes dart to the book that he held to his chest but tried not to comment on it. They all knew how sensitive he could get and even he was ashamed at how touchy he could get. Goten looked relieved that he was no longer getting a lecture from his mother. Gohan even had a look of relieve in his eyes.  
  
"Well. I kind of snapped at Goku, when he was looking through this book and I came over to apologize," he looked down at the book. "I am trying to be less tense about the whole thing."  
  
Goten nodded. "I think he is inside."  
  
ChiChi came over and looped around an arm around Juniors arm. Sometimes, it seemed that she liked him more than her own boys, but then, he wasn't a fighter as her children were. He did spar from time to time, but he was no where near the same level as everyone else. Plus, books were much much safer. "Why don't you come in. I will make a nice pot of tea that we can all enjoy without any arguments!" Her smile was large as they started to walk into the house.  
  
That was until a sharp pain overpowered him.  
  
It was like his eyes were getting jabbed by a sharp poker that was hotter than the sun. He threw off his sunglasses and dropped the picture book. He threw his hands to his eyes. He didn't want to scream but he found that he was.  
  
He heard another scream, but he didn't have time to think of it very long for the pain seemed to rise to a new and higher level.  
  
..................  
  
ChiChi gasped as Junior fell to the ground and then she turned to see Goten gasping for air and clutching his throat. The book of pictures crashed to the ground beside him.  
  
"What's happening!" she hollered to Gohan who was clutching his brother. They both looked like they were in agony.  
  
Was the poison finally going to take them too?  
  
"GOKU!" she hollered but she did not see him coming and did not dare leave the now whimpering Junior who was curled up in a ball beside her. Goten was in the same condition. He looked like he was having trouble breathing.  
  
"GOKU!" She called but knew that he wasn't going to come. "Goku! You big oaf, where the hell are you?"  
  
..................  
  
Bulma took solace in her daughters arms. Raymond had just told her that if he stopped breathing again, he won't be able to revive him. He was too far gone.  
  
She knew that she had to be strong for her daughter but at the same time she wanted to be told that he was going to wake up and that Raymond was wrong. She had already done all the yelling that her throat could handle and surely Raymond's ears could handle. She doubted that she had a tear left to cry.  
  
She knew this was hard on Bra too. With her baby on the way and her small body swollen with child, she knew that she should not be looking for her support but Trunks was not in any better shape.  
  
He had moved from lying to his bed to the living room. His eyes glazed in his own thoughts that didn't seem to involve this world.  
  
"Dad wouldn't want us to cry. He always hated that," Bra said, but she was obviously fighting off her own set of tears.  
  
She nodded her head and was about to say that she couldn't help it, when she heard an awful scream.  
  
It was Trunks.  
  
She stood and was about to dart from the room. It didn't sound like a nightmare scream. It sounded like he was in pain.  
  
That was until the machines around Vegeta started to go nuts! Vegeta even moved. His hands were clenching into fists.  
  
She looked to him and then to the door where she heard her son, now cursing and running into something.  
  
Raymond was at the side with Vegeta doing what doctors do. Bra sat frozen in her chair.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Bulma said trying not to sound scared.  
  
Raymond did not answer.  
  
Bra stood suddenly. "Mom. You stay by dad. I'll go check on Trunks!" as she waddled as quickly as she could out of the room.  
  
Bulma went to her husbands side. It was good seeing him moving. His chest was heaving more that it had in days and his arms were shaking. There was even sweat forming on his brow.  
  
She looked over to Raymond who looked rather confused.  
  
"Is he dying?" she asked. She thought that he was going to die quietly.  
  
Raymond shook his head and threw the blankets back from Vegeta's bare chest.  
  
"The scar is gone," he said simply and with a great deal of shock.  
  
The scar? The poison? How?  
  
...............  
  
Bra looked at her brother as he clutched his side.  
  
"Are you alright?" she said and clutched his shoulders. He shuttered.  
  
Through clenched teeth he responded. "It feels like someone tore out my side!" he said as he collapsed on the couch. He moved his hand away from the wound and looked at his hand as if he were expecting to see blood on it.  
  
"Something was happening with daddy," she said.  
  
Trunks seemed to ignore the pain that he was in and stood even though he was bent over. She went over to help him.  
  
"Is it going away?" she asked.  
  
He shook his head and kept his teeth clenched.  
  
...............  
  
He didn't dare answer her. If he did, he would surely have screamed. He didn't understand why the wound was hurting as if it were fresh but he wasn't going to let it slow him down.  
  
What was happening to his father?  
  
Was he finally dying?  
  
"GODDAMN WOMAN!"  
  
He was startled at the voice. He hadn't heard it for so long. He stood straight and looked at his sister who looked just as stunned. The pain in his side nearly sent him to the floor but he somehow gathered strength that he didn't even know that he had and grabbed his sister to keep him standing.  
  
"QUIT YOUR BLUBBERING!"  
  
That was definitely dad.  
  
He walked into the room to see him looking like he was struggling to sit up. The arm that was holding him up was shaking rather badly but he was moving. His other hand was on his chest as if that was the center of his pain.  
  
His dad was not going to die!  
  
Mom was crying and sitting at his side. Her hands clasped together and tucked under her chin. She was smiling though.  
  
His eyes narrowed as he breathed heavily as he looked at him being supported by Bra. But he knew that he was looking at Bra. Her belly was very prominent now. He knew that was what his father was looking at because the narrowed eyes focused on Raymond not long after.  
  
Dad was alive!  
  
How?  
  
The pain over took him and collapsed to the floor with a smile.  
  
Everything was going to be okay some how. He could feel it. He felt whole again. The missing piece was back.  
  
He felt it.  
  
But how?  
  
.....................  
  
YOU HAVE THREE MORE WISHES  
  
The dragon's voice boomed.  
  
Legen sat by his mother who seemed to be sleeping. Was coming back from the dead hard? He didn't know and didn't care. She was back!   
  
They had already made two wishes after playing an hour of cards. Goku demanded that he get some practice first. Of course that was when Benot made some smart remarks about video games. They had their few practice rounds and for a while it almost looked like the cards were in his favor.  
  
Thank Dende that they won and the dragon emerged from the body of Goku, who now sat slumped under the apple tree without the dragon tattoo on his body. The dragon loomed over the tree and river. They sky was dark. They never thought the dragon was going to be that big.  
  
When they made their first wish, she looked okay. Stunned but okay as she stood there blinking at them and then they made the second wish. To get rid of the poison that was infecting everybody.  
  
That was when mom gave out a scream and fell to the ground. He thought that it was to good to be true that she was back and she died again, but she had a strong pulse and was breathing evenly.  
  
"Will she be okay?" he asked the dragon.  
  
I HAVE REMOVED THE POISON FROM HER AND THE OTHERS  
  
"We should have wished that it didn't hurt," Fry whispered as he looked over at the still body of Goku.  
  
YOUR REMAINING WISHES  
  
"Well, we got three more. We can each have a wish," Benot said rubbing his hands.  
  
"We should make them good," Fry said.  
  
He knew what he was going to wish for. It was what he had wanted for such a long time.  
  
"You wish first Fry," Legen said.  
  
Fry bit his lip and looked at Goku again.  
  
"Well, Can I wish for that he doesn't leave us again?" Fry said. "I don't want anyone to leave us again. I want everyone to remain whole. You know what I mean..." Fry looked like he was going to go on talking but the dragon interrupted.  
  
YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.  
  
Fry stood their stunned.  
  
"My turn!" Benot said nearly jumping up and down.  
  
YOUR WISH?  
  
"I want to never have anyone attack earth again!"  
  
The Dragon made a low growling noise.  
  
YOUR WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED  
  
"What?" Benot snapped. "You granted his wish and he never finished talking! I don't want anyone to be threatened again and people dying like they seem to around here! Is that to much to ask for?"  
  
YES  
  
Benot looked mad. His face went red. "Well! Can't we have an early warning system or something!"  
  
GRANTED  
  
The dragon eyes glowed and in front of Benot a large silver looking ball appeared in front of him. "What the hell is this?"  
  
WHAT YOU WISHED FOR  
  
They all looked at the silver ball that looked as large a beach ball.  
  
THE LAST WISH  
  
"You guys shut your ears!" Legen said.  
  
"What?" They both said.  
  
"I don't want you to hear my wish," he said as he stood up from his mother. "Go on. Do it."  
  
After a little bit more argument they finally listened to him. He knew that they would find out what his wish was eventually, but he didn't want Benot ruining it.  
  
.....................  
  
  
Vegeta didn't like feeling weak and he didn't like everyone doting on him either. He had to push the woman away three times already as he got dressed. He didn't need her help!  
  
They were all babbling on how they all thought that he was going to die and yada yada yada. He blocked it all out.  
  
Bra's stomach sure had grown. That was until he realized that he had been in that bed for nearly a month and a half that it donned on him that he had just about died. He didn't want to let his shock show and he didn't want any more doting. That was for certain.  
  
Raymond wanted to some blood work on him and he just growled at the man. He didn't want to be around him right now.  
  
Then there was his son, clutching to his side by grinning up a storm at the same time. What was his problem?  
  
"Are you hungry?" Bulma said with a large grin and watery eyes.  
  
"No," he lied. He would eat later.  
  
"It is no problem. I can cook something," she said.  
  
He winced at the thought. Where was Soyna? Her cooking was much better than his wives cooking.  
  
He stalked out of the room at a slower than normal pace for he thought that his knees were going to give out on him, but he didn't want them to see it.  
  
Bra rushed him and nearly toppled him. She frantically kissed him and latched herself on to his neck. "I thought that you were going to die daddy."  
  
He rolled his eyes. What could he do about this? He couldn't just push her away. Not in her condition. He just sighed and gave her a hug back. He could see Bulma grinning widely beside him. If he hadn't got so soft.  
  
He somehow ended up sitting on the couch with Bra snuggled up against him and Bulma cooking him something to eat because he sure looked like he was hungry.  
  
He was about to ask about Soyna. He didn't remember the end of that battle. He remembered the cold feeling on his chest. He touched it at the memory. They must have won. But how and how badly had that poison hurt him? Questions he would only ask Soyna.  
  
Of course the little brat brigade came running in all babbling at once. He could hardly understand what they were rambling about until he saw Kakarott carrying Soyna.  
  
"We got mom back!" Legen giggled. "We wished her back!"  
  
He sure missed a lot! When did Kakarott come back? Wished her back? Was she dead and why is she cuddling up to Kakarott? He felt a very strong headache coming on.  
  
Benot jumped on the couch. "Look! Look! Papa Vegeta woke up!"  
  
He hated it when they called him that.  
  
Kakarott had a large smile on his face. "You look much better than you did before." He was speaking through the mass of Soyna's hair. She nuzzled closer to Kakarott in a very annoying manner. Kakarott even blushed. He didn't like that at all. He wasn't aware that he had let out a low growl until Bra said something about it. He didn't care if it was rude. He didn't care if they thought it wrong. Why was she cuddling up to Kakarott like that? That just was not right!  
  
...............  
  
Goku was really trying hard not to blush as she cuddled closer to him in his arms. She was still at first. She was still asleep but she woke up on the way back to Capsule Corporation. He wished he would have used the instant transmission instead of flying back with the boys. He really did.  
  
Her green eyes flickered open and at first she seemed to be shocked but then a small smile formed on her lips and she put her arms around his neck and nuzzled close to him. That wasn't too bad. It wasn't until he felt her tail wrapping around his arm that he nearly dropped her. She was making this purring sound too.  
  
Then when he saw Vegeta glaring at him. She had unwrapped her tail but she was still nuzzled awfully close to him.  
  
"Her room is this way!" Legen said just when he was going to ask. He wanted to get her out of his arms!  
  
Legen smiled widely as he brought her to her room and tried to place her in the bed but it seemed her arms were firmly placed around his neck. It took a little work but he pried her hands off of his neck and placed her in the bed, where Legen had pulled the blankets back.  
  
She looked as if she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open as Legen pulled the blankets over her.  
  
Legen then sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her with a large smile.  
  
"Am I dreaming?" her voice was a harsh but a very soft whisper.  
  
"No mom. You're back home. We got you back," he smiled and took her shaking hand in his two.  
  
Her green eyes focused on him and blinked a few times before closing, "When did you cut your hair?" but she was asleep right after.  
  
He rubbed his head. He never cut his hair.  
  
Legen giggled.  
  
He looked at the boy questionably.  
  
Legen smiled. "She thinks your Goten!"  
  
He blinked as he slowly walked out of the room. Was that why his son was acting all weird? Was that why he insisted on fighting him at every turn? He was in love with Soyna?  
  
ChiChi didn't mention that part.  
  
He walked back into the living room. Trunk's was snoring lightly in a chair and it looked like Vegeta was struggling to stay awake. Benot was glaring at the silver ball that he some reason wished for. He didn't remember the wishes that were granted even though his chest hurt quite badly from the dragon 'emerging' from him. Maybe he would get those memories back later.  
  
"Cursed thing!" Benot said and dropped the ball on the floor. "The dragon didn't even listen properly to me!"  
  
Bra reached over and slapped Benot across the back of the head. "Watch your language!"  
  
"Ow," he whined. "Well. I want to never have to worry about anyone coming to kill us again and all he gave me was that STUPID silver ball!"  
  
"Well, what is it supposed to be?"  
  
"Some sort of STUPID warning system!" Benot said and picked it up again. "I don't see how this is going to work.  
  
Vegeta rubbed his eyes. "Will you shut up brat and go see what is taking that woman so long with the food already."  
  
Benot looked like he was going to argue but the narrowing eyes of Bra set him to stamp his feet as he left the room. "I hope my kid isn't like that," Bra whispered. It was more to herself than to anyone else.  
  
"He better not be," Vegeta grumbled. "Benot is enough of a brat for three households."  
  
Goku looked around and felt very uncomfortable. "Well," he said as he began to inch towards the door. "I should be going home now."  
  
"Yes. You should," Vegeta grumbled.  
  
Goku took that for a 'get out!' The quickest way for him to do that was to bring his two fingers to his forehead and go home. He heard Bra start to say something about ignoring her grumpy father, but he really wanted to go home.  
  
He was glad to be in the familiar surroundings of his house but quickly realized that something was wrong.  
  
ChiChi looked as if she had been crying and Gohan looked worried. Before he could even say anything he was bombarded with his sobbing wife. He looked over to the couch where Junior was lying with a cold cloth over his eyes. He just had to calm down ChiChi so that he could explain it to everyone that everything was going to be okay now.  
  
...............  
  
  
TA DA!  
  
Yet another work-o-art!  
  
But, here I go again with the to-be-continued thingy.  
  
STAY TUNED!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  



	37. No more secrets

ARGH!!! Not only did I rewrite this chapter three whole times because I didn't like it! I went and bought a 60 dollar game that took me all of 10 hours to complete!!!! ARGH!!!! (If you are a P2 player don't buy Oci. Rent it! It is a good game but damn it I finished it way too easily!)  
  
Well enough of that... lets get on topic now.  
  
And gee Brandon, you are such a pessimist now! Why would I blind poor Junior? I know I can be cruel but the poor boy has gone through enough... I still hope you enjoy my story.  
  
There is a little treat in here. We get to see the world from Soyna's eyes for a portion of the story.   
  
  
  
  
Read on...... No more secrets  
  
  
  
c-39  
  
No more secrets.  
  
  
  
A whole house full of people that he didn't want to see! Vegeta sat himself near Soyna. Not to near for there were just too many people hovering about.  
  
Everyone was here. Again, he wondered why it was always his house for this sort of thing. Why couldn't they go elsewhere to do this sort of stuff?  
  
Krillen was talking with Bulma and that annoying android was there too. Their brat was talking with the other 'children.' Bra, Trunks, Pan and Goten were all standing in a little huddle. Raymond had gone through and was checking everyone that had been poisoned one by one. He had already gone through the annoying check up. Raymond was now talking with Gohan who being to easily distracted by Trunks today.  
  
Vegeta could see why. Pan was now wearing a ring on her finger that he didn't remember being there before. He didn't ask his son if they were getting married but from the look of it, he was definitely stuck with the stupid Son family!  
  
Then there was that annoying Kakarott!  
  
When they had walked in Soyna had made a little gasping noise. She made some comment about Goten not having cut his hair and turned beet red. That was the first time that he ever remembered seeing her blush. He remembered how she had cuddled Kakarott when she was carried in. He would have to talk to her about that. Even Kakarott had blushed but no one else seemed to see it as they all began talking and doing those stupid hug and kisses thing.  
  
It had turned into a huge gathering.  
  
Annoying as hell!  
  
Legen and Benot were proud of how they managed to get the five wishes out of Kakarott.  
  
"Why five? Last time the dragonballs only had two. How did they jump up with so many wishes?" Krillin had asked.  
  
Kakarott did this annoying smile thing and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, with the fusion. We are much stronger than any other dragon had ever been and my strength increased ten fold," not something Vegeta wanted to hear.  
  
That is when the boys jumped in with their loud detailed explanation to how the dragon emerged from Kakarott. He couldn't tell who was talking all three explanations blurred into one.  
  
...When we beat him at cards...  
...he just about beat us...  
...that loophole is closed now...  
...there was this really bright light...  
...it filled up the whole sky...  
...video games won't work either for more wishes...  
...it was like that solar flare thingy attack...  
...I already tried that...  
...the dragon like jumped....  
...crawled off his body...  
....I want a damn instruction manual!...  
...it grew so large and wrapped it self around the tree...  
...Goku passed out...  
...booming voice...  
...cool green dragon with a snake...  
...asked us what our five wishes were...  
...Five!...  
...got mom...  
...heal everyone...  
...all got to make a wish too...  
...STUPID silver ball is NOT what I asked for...  
...no one is going to leave any more...  
...didn't even hear me out...  
...I am not telling!...  
  
Legen refused to tell what his wish was.  
  
"We'll find out sooner or later boy," Vegeta snarled. "You might as well tell us all."  
  
Legen shook his head.  
  
"You should have wished to put Vegeta in a better mood," Benot muttered. He really was going to have to teach that boy to keep his mouth in check.  
  
............  
  
Trunks frowned as he looked over at Goten who kept looking over at Soyna. He had pushed all those thought of what he learned about their relationship from the fusion back, but now, he should really have a talk with him.  
  
He even saw Soyna giving him the odd look from time to time.  
  
Part of him didn't like the thought of his (OTHER selves) daughter with Goten, his best friend. That was just weird. Part of him also knew that Goten would be good for her and the boys no matter what Benot called him.  
  
It was just weird.  
  
.....................  
  
Goten thought he was going to go insane!  
  
He couldn't get alone with her!  
  
There were way too many people in the house. Vegeta was watching her like a hawk and he swore that Trunks was glaring at him too!  
  
He had to talk to her!  
  
She looked better than he ever remembered her looking. She was the most beautiful woman in the world right now and he couldn't get near her to tell her that without his life ending.  
  
No one was leaving!  
  
It was like five hours!  
  
Everyone was talking about the wishes that the boys had made and they were all too happy to repeat it. He had Pan fawning over him making sure that he still wasn't feeling weak kneed and so was Bra. He felt fine. He would have felt a lot better if he could even get close to her!  
  
He felt so edgy and he wanted to go stretch his muscles but knew that that would be a bad idea with everyone finally back and healthy. He was not in the mood to have his mother make him deaf about the inappropriateness of him wanting to spar.  
  
..................  
  
"Where did you get that ring?"  
  
Pan wanted to slap Marron really hard for saying that.  
  
"Did Trunks give it to you?"  
  
Was she blind? Did she not see how she was glaring at her? Marron picked up her hand and 'oohed' at the ring. "Wow, this must have cost him a fortune."  
  
"What ring?"  
  
Pan pulled her hand away as her mother came closer to her, with and expectant look in her eyes. She looked over to Trunks who she hoped would rescue her but he was busy sweating as he was talking with Gohan. She knew that she shouldn't have told dad. Of course, she never told him about the ring. Well he was about to find out.  
  
"What ring?" Videl said again and pulled at her hand. Pan sighed and showed her the ring.  
  
"What kind of ring is it?" That was Junior who peered over Marron shoulder. He looked so much better with his clear eyes and she was surprised at how sharp his looks had become. Maybe it was just because she wasn't used to his eyes being healed. "That looks like a pretty big rock."  
  
Junior had enough sense to back off when she glared at him.  
  
"Well, what kind of ring is it?" Videl said and was trying to hide a forming smile.  
  
She didn't want to tell everyone now. They wanted to do that later. Today was a day to celebrate Soyna coming back and everyone healing, not to tell everyone that Trunks had proposed to her before the tournament began. She also had to tell everyone about her other problem too.  
  
Well, it was as good as a time as any. Trunk's was busy talking with Gohan right now and looking rather uncomfortable. She could save him and tell everyone about their intentions of getting married. "It's an engagement ring." She said simply.  
  
She was glad that her mother was happy for her and everyone grabbed her hand to look at the ring which she had to admit, was quite impressive.  
  
When things quieted down, she heard Vegeta snort, "So, when are you due?" from his place on the couch.  
  
She knew her eyes grew wide and her cheeks started to burn. She looked over at Trunks who was running his hand over his face and shaking his head. "Thanks dad," was said in a sarcastic tone.  
  
Vegeta looked stunned for a moment but quickly covered it up. He hadn't known and now they were looking at her with wide eyes. Vegeta had tried to make a joke and it had back fired, but wasn't it always like that with Vegeta.  
  
Pan wished she could crawl under a rock.  
  
...............  
  
Goten sighed. That was finally all out in the open. Everyone was focusing on that and he was very relieved that even Vegeta seemed to be concentrating on the impending marriage and the pregnancy of Pan. He heard another comment as Vegeta grabbed his son's arm and muttered something about that he was warned.  
  
He was surprised that Gohan didn't blow up. He looked a little perturbed but he didn't look like he was going to kill Trunks. Maybe he mellowed out about the relationship a bit.  
  
He looked over at Soyna who was watching from a distance with a smile on her face. She looked so relaxed until she realized that he was looking at her and she quickly but a stern look on her face.  
  
If only he could talk to her. He promised himself that he wouldn't get mad at her for leaving him after he had promised her that he wouldn't leave her side. He planned on keeping that promise even if she didn't like it. Well, he hoped that she would like it.  
  
He looked away as he remembered their last interrupted kiss. She was starting to melt. He had begun to think it was his imagination for it was so long ago, but he wasn't sure.  
  
Dad had told him with a great deal of embarrassment about how she had nuzzled herself to him and in a hushed voice he asked if she had ever wrapped her tail around him.  
  
She had thought that dad was him. He knew they looked alike but he didn't think they looked that close to each other. Oh well. The good thing was when she made that gasping noise when he walked in with his father and mentioned something about a hair cut. She had really thought it was him that had brought her back.  
  
If only he had been there to carry her home.  
  
He like how her tail had felt when it wrapped around his arm. He didn't like the fact that she had done that to Dad, but she thought it was him, so it wasn't that bad.  
  
He looked back over to where she had been and found that she was gone into the throng of people surrounding Pan.  
  
Damn.  
  
He wasted his chance to talk to her.  
  
..................  
  
Why was he still here?  
  
She tried not to look at him. She tried to show that she didn't want him around but then, it wasn't really true.  
  
Everyone else was gone expect for Raymond and Bra who were preoccupying Vegeta by telling him that he needed to rest and Vegeta telling them to mind their own business and he knew how the hell was felling.  
  
She had tried to convince herself that she didn't want to complicate her life with another man. She had pushed him away so many times, but he still came back and those times that he had kissed her.  
  
She hoped she wasn't blushing.  
  
The first time was nice and comforting and she had felt so safe cuddled in his arms. A feeling that she had not had in a long time. She had chalked it up to being hurt and tired. But that second kiss that he thrust upon her, the one that almost melted her... The kiss that made her forget for a moment what they were up against...  
  
She really hoped that she wasn't blushing.  
  
His dark eyes kept darting away every time that she looked at him and she caught herself doing the same thing.  
  
She cursed herself for acting like a school girl and tried to keep her cool about her.  
  
He was only a man. He was no reason to loose her composure. She had done enough of that today. She hadn't realized how much Goten looked like his father and that was rather embarrassing enough.  
  
Why was he still here? Everyone else was just about gone. The boys in their game room, being boys. She could hear Benot bouncing that silver ball against the wall and cursing at it. Fry was trying to get the wish out of Legen but Legen just pursed his lips together and shook his head. She would definitely try to get it out of him later. She used to be good at that.  
  
"Soyna?"  
  
She looked at him. His dark eyes blinking innocently at her. Damn his dark eyes. She wanted to punch him and run. It was easier than dealing with the turmoil that roared inside her caused by his dark innocent looking eyes.  
  
The damn eyes that haunted her since she first blasted him threw the kitchen wall, when he startled Benot. She had the full intention of killing him in that moment. She really did and would have hurt him if Vegeta didn't stop her. Even after she found it hard to look at him and his dark eyes.  
  
Then the way that he perused her. The fool! She pushed him away in every possible way. He seemed to enjoy coming back and getting his butt kicked every time that they fought. And how did he find her when she went to her spot to work things out? She could hide her ki from everyone else, but how the hell did he find her?  
  
"What?" she said and looked away from him. She didn't want to think about that anymore. She didn't want to think about him anymore.  
  
"I'm glad you back," he said in a low voice. She looked back at him. What the hell was she supposed to say back to him? She didn't understand why he was still trying.  
  
Of course that last kiss...  
  
She took a step back and meant to dart from the room. She didn't want to think about those things that were forcing there way to the surface. She really didn't want to think about that!  
  
He was just a man! She didn't need to feel so confused over just a man that was everything that she... She really had to get out of the room.  
  
"You can't run from me forever," he said as he grabbed her arm. She wanted to pull her arm away from him and just go find the peace and quite of the river and the wind through the trees so that she wouldn't have to think about him.  
  
"I missed you," he said.  
  
She did not want to admit that she had missed him and had truly regretted shunning him as much as she had done. She just could not understand why he was so persistent. She did not think than any man would want her after they found out that she had been married and that turned out to be disastrous, had trusted a man that killed her family and had twin boys that were, as Vegeta called them, little monsters. Why the hell was he still doing this? She didn't know if she could handle another failed relationship. It would be all to much.  
  
"Did you miss me?" he said.  
  
She wanted to yell at him and make fun of his hair. That would make him go away. But she knew better. Damn fool was too persistent for his own good. That was a Son trait. She was sure of that. If he would go away then no one would get hurt.  
  
"I tried to come after you but Gohan stopped me," he said in a lower voice. "I really tried and I felt you die." He took a deep breath and sounded like he had a flash of pain for a moment. "I would have come to get you. I know that you didn't need saving but I still would have come."  
  
Damn chivalrous fool!  
  
"I had meant what I said."  
  
She still couldn't turn to look at him. His voice was so soft and full of emotion that she wanted to turn and hug the fool but she didn't want to seem soft to him. She already showed him way to much weakness and that was not the way that she wanted to be treated. She was too strong to be a weak girl drawn to a man and that can't control her emotions. She was stronger than that!  
  
She always had to be stronger than that.  
  
"I will always be by your side," he said, his grip loosed from her arm now, but she didn't run. She didn't know why she just didn't duck out the door. She had excuse enough. Benot and Legen were yelling at each other again. It was something to do about that silver ball that he wished for and the fact that Legen didn't say what his wish was.  
  
Why didn't she run from him?  
  
"I missed you a whole lot," he whispered. "I dreamed of you all the time and it hurt that when I woke up I knew that you weren't there."  
  
She shut her eyes and tried to be strong.  
  
"I promised myself that I would find a way to get you back and when Dad came back and said that he was not in control of the dragonballs, I tried so hard to beat him. I tried so hard to win that challenge but I couldn't. You're stupid... I mean, the boys found the loop hole and brought you back to me."  
  
He let out a big sigh. She knew what he had wanted to say. He was getting ready to insult Benot again. Those two definitely had some issues to work out.   
  
"So you are back and you look great."  
  
She forced herself to look at him. He was standing there like he was a scolded three year old boy. His eyes on his shuffling feet and his hands behind his back.  
  
"I just want you to know that I will be there for you any time that you need me. And not just for sparing either. Anything," he said. "I won't rush you."  
  
He looked so cute.  
  
Damn him.  
  
  
...................................................  
  
Aaw, ain't that sweet? I can feel my teeth rotting.  
Can you guess what Legen wished for?? Everything seems so happy now!   
The conclusion of this part of the tale in the next chapter  
  
Soyna.  
  
  



	38. The end????

Could this be the end????   
  
We will see now won't we.   
Some people have been asking about a sequel... we shall see...   
  
(Blame the delay on fanfic... I couldn't post the chapter until they got it up and going.... )   
  
Oh yeah, I have part of the side story finally posted. The one about Trunks and Pan getting together that I said I was going to work on forever ago... well, it is there... She Started It.   
  
  
  
  
  
It never Ends C-40   
  
The End???   
  
  
"Why the hell do I have to come?" Vegeta mumbled as Bulma dragged him from the hospital door. "They will be bringing the crying machine over often enough and expect you to baby sit all the time as it is, so why do we have to come here?"   
  
Bulma glared at him. "Will you just be a civilized person just for awhile. I want to see the baby."   
  
The baby. Weren't there enough of the little brats running around? And why did they seem to always be around him? They didn't start to look different until they were two or so as it was. He really didn't want to be here.   
  
Bulma pulled away from him and went to go to the group of people that were in the waiting room. Maybe if they all saw the kid here, they wouldn't invade his house. He knew that was wishful thinking, but he had to dream.   
  
He went to stand in a corner and be away from the group.   
  
ChiChi was smiling brightly as she held Fry in her lap as they waited for news. Fry looked like he desperately wanted to get out of his grandmothers lap and join Benot and Legen who were arguing (remarkably quietly) by the vending machines.   
  
Kakarott was looking nervous sitting beside his wife. He probably though that he was going to get a needle for just being in the hospital.   
  
He was very aware that most of the hospital staff ignored them or quickly skirted them. He was grateful for that. Most of the remembered what his temper was like and how insane everyone else was.   
  
He saw Junior trying to get the boys to sit down and to quit arguing. They were ignoring their uncle and they were starting to get loud.   
  
"Vegeta!"   
  
What did that silly woman want?   
  
Bulma grabbed his arm. "you are not going to sulk in a corner. You are going to join the rest of us, whether you like it or not." He couldn't help but growl at her as he was dragged by his wife. He still sometimes wondered how he became trapped by her.   
  
He looked to his daughter who was bouncing her baby girl on her knee. The child looked like her mother. The only thing that even remotely looked like Raymond was that her eyes were hazel.   
  
Immediately the little rugrat looked up at him and smiled. "Grrrpa!" she said. She didn't say grandpa but called him grrpa all the time now. She was pretty good at making the growling noises.   
  
He looked away. He did not want the kid bugging him right now.   
  
"Grrpa!" the kid said again.   
  
He didn't make out what Bra whispered to the little brat but he soon found himself looking at the blue haired little girl who had attached herself to his leg.   
  
"Up." She grinned.   
  
"Why should I?" he said down to the kid. None of the brats were afraid of him anymore. He didn't care for that very much. They tended to bother him a little bit more than his own ever did. He dreaded how much they would bother him when they got older with great anticipation.   
  
"UP. Grrpa. Grrpa, up!"   
  
"Pick her up already Vegeta, you big grump," Bulma said.   
  
He looked over at his daughter. She was just smiling brightly and encouraging her daughter. Why did she have a girl anyway? He wanted another boy. At least he could train a boy.   
  
He bent down and picked up the girl who gave a big happy squeal. He frowned at her but it only made her smile larger and cuddle close to him. "Grrpa. Growling." And chuckled.   
  
Bra stood beside him with a large smile. "Violet definitely loves her Grrpa."   
  
He looked over at Kakarott who was smiling dumbly at him. If the freak of nature wasn't so strong he would have pummeled him. He quickly looked away as if he was interesting himself in something else.   
  
"NO WAY!"   
  
"ADMIT IT ALREADY!"   
  
There goes Benot and Legen again. Junior just grabbed them by their shirts and was getting ready to storm them out of the room. He looked flustered himself.   
  
"HE IS SUCH A WIMP!"   
  
"LIKE YOUR NORMAL!"   
  
"YOU WOULD HAVE MADE SUCH A STUPID WISH!"   
  
"IT WAS NOT A STUPID WISH!"   
  
Then they were gone out the door. It was an old argument that would come up from time to time. Usually when Benot was getting into trouble or was really mad at Legen.   
  
It was only noon and everyone's day was interrupted by the call to the hospital. He didn't understand why they couldn't just plan these kid things better.   
  
Trunks barged into the room looking as he had flown at mock 3 to get here, his hair was a mess and he was panting. He looked around the room frantically, "Did I miss it? Has it happened yet?"   
  
"Nope," Kakarott said. "Still waiting to hear news."   
  
"Where is Pan?" He said looking around the room. His eyes still were flashing brightly.   
  
Gohan grunted. Those two still had their problems. Gohan still did not like his little girl being with his son. He didn't like his son being with his brat but he knew that he couldn't stop the foolish thing, especially after they announced how careless they were.   
  
"Right here," Pan said as she walked in with their child in her arms.   
  
Trunks rushed up to her. "I got here as fast as I could," he said finally relaxing. He took the bundle from Pan's arms and smirked down at his little girl. Another annoying girl! "How is my Crystal?"   
  
It better not be another girl!   
  
He kept looking for Raymond to finally come out and tell us that it was over and that he could get out of here. He wanted that more that anything else.   
  
Benot and Legen came back in with their Uncle. Their lips were pressed firmly together and they looked like they were going to tear each other apart as soon as they could.   
  
He smiled. He was glad that Soyna had finally allowed him to start training the boys. These fights that they had were a hell of a lot more interesting and they were gaining strength awful quickly. They could not transform yet, but he sensed that it was close in them. Especially Legen. The boy showed a lot of promise.   
  
Raymond walked through a door with a large smile on his face. Bulma quickly rushed to him. "Well!?" Bulma demanded.   
  
Raymond smiled brightly. "It's a girl!"   
  
Congratulations were spun all around.   
  
Great. Another girl. He looked at Violet who was content in his arms, who was now humming to herself. How are they supposed to defend the earth with a bunch of girls as the future fighters. He shuttered at the thought of 'Sailor moon'.   
  
"And a boy too!"   
  
"What?" Vegeta snapped.   
  
"Twins! There are two babies! They look just like their mother!" Raymond grinned.   
  
Great. Two more brats to the pile that are already around. At least one was a boy. They didn't tell anyone that she was having twins. Somehow he knew that it wasn't a surprise for them.   
  
Goten came through the door now looking a little worse for wear and some blood trickling down his chin.   
  
Kakarott came rushing up to him. "Congratulation's son!"   
  
Goten looked dazed as his father grabbed his arm and shook it and winced in pain. That was why he never went with Bulma into the birthing room. He was no idiot!   
  
Trunks patted Goten's shoulder and he heard him grunt. "You can all come in now."   
  
......................   
  
Goten had never felt so happy in his life as he did when he looked down at the two children that were his. A little girl with her mothers red hair tufted on her head. A little boy with black hair that was threatening to spike already.   
  
His children.   
  
He was glad that the rush of people was over with. Now he could spend some time with them.   
  
That was until Legen and Benot came in.   
  
Legen was smiling brightly. After all, he got his wish. He got himself a father, even if he couldn't have his real one, he was there. Benot was scowling as usual. The boy just didn't want to accept them as a couple but was slowly melting. A few times, he actually called him Goten instead of weakling or wimp.   
  
"Have you come to see your new brother and sister?" he said with a smile. Nothing could break his mood. This was too good of a day.   
  
Benot grumbled but peered into the bassinets and smiled. Legen was a hell of a lot more bubbly. He was almost beaming. "Can I hold one?"   
  
"Sure," he said and picked up his daughter. DAUGHTER? Wow. Did that ever feel weird thinking about that. He handed her over to him.   
  
Benot bit his lip and looked at how Legen was holding his sister. He handed him his brother and he smiled but tried to hide it. God forbid that Benot should want to watch his baby siblings.   
  
"How's mom doing?" Legen asked.   
  
"Sleeping. Raymond gave her a good dose of that stuff that works on her," he said. "It was the only way to get her to take a nap! She'll be up in a hour or so."   
  
Benot muttered under his breath something that he was sure that he wasn't meant to hear. It was meant for the babies ears alone. "I guess mom could have picked a worse dad."   
  
He just smiled as his family. HIS family! He was so proud that he thought he was going to burst.   
  
..................   
..............................   
  
Benot sat in his room and stared at the picture of his mother's and the wimps wedding. It was like the one she had of her first wedding. She was dressed in a long white dress that was snug and her hair which was full of baby's breath was already in disarray. Goten had cut his hair and looked more like his father and had the same stupid grin on his face. Legen was sitting in Goten's lap. He was sitting beside his mother.   
  
It was a good day.   
  
He had to admit that Goten really wasn't that bad of a guy, but he would never say that to him.   
  
Legen and his stupid wish! Why did he have to wish that Goten was going to be his father? Too late now. He should have known that his fool brother would have wished for something sappy like that.   
  
But now he had a little sister and a little brother. They were so cute and Goten was... well, he was like a father. He wasn't that bad and was helping him learn how to fight.   
  
He shook his head. They had the baby's room all ready. They knew that they were having twins, but didn't tell anyone about it, but the rooms were right across from his.   
  
He scowled over at the silver ball that he wished for. No one had figured out how it works and that damn Goku won't give him an instruction manual, no matter how hard he tried to get more wishes out of the man. He was determined to get strong enough to get more wishes.   
  
How the hell was the warning system supposed to work?   
  
He sighed and went downstairs to wait until his mom got home with the new additions.   
  
It was all over anyway. Who would be stupid enough to attack this planet now anyway? He went downstairs to concentrate his thoughts on his new family that he was still having trouble accepting.   
  
He didn't see the ball start to glow and show the image of a young man with white hair sitting at a table going over papers. He had a very determined look on his face.   
  
........................   
  
  
  
FIN   
  
  
I.N.E.   
  
  
Soyna


End file.
